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STANLEY   GAVE   A    SUDDEN     SPRING    AND     BURIED     HIS     KNIFE    IN 
THE    LEOPARD. 


"'4 

ON    THE    IRRAWADDY 


A    STORY   OF 
THE    FIRST    BURMESE   WAR 


BY 

G.  A.   HENTY 

Author  of  "  With  Clive  in  India,"  "  In  the  Heart  of  the  Rockies,"  "  Through  Rus- 
sian Snows,"  "  When  London  Burned,"  "  The  Dash  for  Khar- 
toum," "  Through  the  Sikh  War,"  etc. 


WITH  EIGHT  ILLUSTRATIONS  BY  W.  H.  OVEREND 


NEW  YORK 

CHARLES    SCRIBNER'S    SONS 

1902 


5 


Copyright,  1896,  by 
CHARLES  SCRIBNER'S  SONS 


THE  CAXTON  PRESS 
NEW  YORK. 


PREFACE 


With  the  exception  of  the  terrible  retreat  from  Afghan- 
istan, none  of  England's  many  little  wars  have  been  so  fatal 
in  proportion  to  the  number  of  those  engaged  as  our  first 
expedition  to  Burma.  It  was  undertaken  without  any  due 
comprehension  of  the  difficulties  to  be  encountered  from  the 
effects  of  climate  and  the  deficiency  of  transport ;  the  power 
and  still  more  the  obstinacy  and  arrogance  of  the  court  of 
Ava  were  altogether  underrated  ;  and  it  was  considered  that 
our  possession  of  her  ports  would  assuredly  bring  the  enemy, 
who  had  wantonly  forced  the  struggle  upon  us,  to  submis- 
sion. Events,  however,  proved  the  completeness  of  the 
error.  The  Burman  policy  of  carrying  off  every  boat  on 
the  river,  laying  waste  the  whole  country  and  driving  away 
the  inhabitants  and  the  herds,  maintained  our  army  as  pris- 
oners in  Rangoon  through  the  first  wet  season,  and  caused  the 
loss  of  half  the  white  officers  and  men  first  sent  there.  The 
subsequent  campaign  was  no  less  fatal,  and  although  large 
reinforcements  had  been  sent,  fifty  per  cent,  of  the  whole 
died,  so  that  less  than  two  thousand  fighting  men  remained 
in  the  ranks  when  the  expedition  arrived  within  a  short  dis- 
tance of  Ava.  Not  until  the  last  Burmese  army  had  been 
scattered   did   the  court  of  Ava  submit  to  the  by  no  means 


PREFACE 

onerous  terms  we  imposed.  Great,  indeed,  was  the  contrast 
presented  by  this  first  invasion  of  the  country  with  the  last 
war  in  1885,  which  brought  about  the  final  annexation  of 
Burma.  Then  a  fleet  of  steamers  conveyed  the  troops  up 
the  noble  river,  while  in  1824  a  solitary  steamer  was  all  that 
India  could  furnish  to  aid  the  flotilla  of  row-boats.  No  worse 
government  has  ever  existed  than  that  of  Burma  when,  with 
the  boast  that  she  intended  to  drive  the  British  out  of  India, 
she  began  the  war  ;  no  people  were  ever  kept  down  by  a 
more  grinding  tyranny,  and  the  occupation  of  the  country 
by  the  British  has  been  an  even  greater  blessing  to  the 
population  than  has  that  of  India.  Several  works,  some  by 
eye-witnesses,  others  compiled  from  official  documents, 
appeared  after  the  war.  They  differ  remarkably  in  the 
relation  of  details,  and  still  more  in  the  spelling  of  the  names 
both  of  persons  and  places.  I  have  chiefly  followed  those 
given  in  the  narratives  of  Mr.  H.  H.  Wilson,  and  of  Major 
Snodgrass,  the  military  secretary  to  the  commander  of  the 
expedition. 


CONTENTS 


I. 

A  New  Career, 

i 

II. 

The  Outbreak  of  War,    . 

iS 

III. 

A  Prisoner, 

34 

IV. 

A  Ruined  Temple, 

53 

V. 

With  Brigands,  . 

7i 

VI. 

Among  Friends, 

89 

VII. 

On  the  Staff,     . 

107 

VIII. 

The  Pagoda, 

125 

IX. 

Victories,    .... 

143 

X. 

The  Advance,     . 

160 

XI. 

DONABEW,       .... 

177 

XII. 

Harry  Carried  Off, 

195 

XIII. 

Preparing  a  Rescue,  . 

213 

XIV. 

In  the  Temple,  . 

230 

XV. 

The  Attack, 

24S 

XVI. 

Rejoining,    .... 

266 

XVII. 

The  Pride  of  Burma  Humbled, 

284 

tvni. 

In  Business  Again, 

301 

ILLUSTRATIONS 

PAGE 

'  Stanley  gave  a  sudden  spring  and   buried    his  knife  in 

THE  LEOPARD,"       ......       Frontispiece,        70 

Stanley  is  brought   before  Bandoola    the   Burmese  Gen- 
eral,      36 

"They  forced  the  canoe  behind  bushes   so   as   to   be  en- 
tirely concealed," S7 

The   Burmese  make  a  Great   Effort  to  Capture   Pagoda- 
Hill,     13S 

"Stanley  cut  down  the  man  who  was  about  to  fire  the 

hut," 1S4 

"The   great    snake    moved  his  head  higher  and   higher, 

hissing  angrily," 227 

"  In   vain   the   Burmese  tried  to   force  their  way   into 

the  chamber," .     250 

"  The    old   Burmese  general  was  carried   from   point  to 

point  in  a  litter," 2s2 


ON    THE    IRRAWADDY 


CHAPTER    I 


NEW       CAREER 


PARTY  was  assembled  in  a  room  of  an  hotel  in 
Calcutta  at  the  end  of  the  year  1822.  It  con- 
sisted of  a  gentleman,  a  lady  in  deep  mourning, 
a  boy  of  between  fourteen  and  fifteen,  and  two 
girls  of  thirteen  and  twelve. 
"•  I  think  you  had  better  accept  my  offer,  Nellie,"  the  gen- 
tleman was  saying.  "  You  will  find  it  hard  work  enough  to 
make  both  ends  meet  with  these  two  girls,  and  Stanley  would 
be  a  heavy  drain  on  you.  The  girls  cost  nothing  but  their 
clothes,  but  he  must  go  to  a  decent  school,  and  then  there 
would  be  the  trouble  of  thinking  what  to  do  with  him  after- 
wards. If  I  could  have  allowed  you  a  couple  of  hundred  a 
year  it  would  have  been  altogether  different,  but  you  see  I  am 
fighting  an  uphill  fight  myself,  and  need  every  penny  that  I 
can  scrape  together.  I  am  getting  on,  and  I  can  see  well 
enough  that,  unless  something  occurs  to  upset  the  whole  thing, 
I  shall  be  doing  a  big  trade  one  of  these  days,  but  every  half- 


2  ON    THE    IRRAWADDY 

penny  of  profit  has  to  go  into  the  business.  So,  as  you  know, 
I  cannot  help  you  at  present,  though  by  the  time  the  girls  grow 
up  I  hope  I  shall  be  able  to  do  so,  and  that  to  a  good  extent.  I 
feel  sure  that  it  would  not  be  a  bad  thing  for  Stanley  :  he  will 
soon  get  to  be  useful  to  me,  and  in  three  or  four  years  will  be 
a  valuable  assistant.  Speaking  Hindustani  as  well  as  he  does, 
he  won't  be  very  long  in  picking  up  enough  of  the  various 
dialects  in  Kathee  and  Chittagong  for  our  purpose,  and  by 
twenty  he  will  have  a  share  of  the  business,  and  be  on  the  high- 
way towards  making  his  fortune.  It  will  be  infinitely  better 
than  anything  he  is  likely  to  find  in  England,  and  he  will  be 
doing  a  man's  work  at  the  age  when  he  would  still  be  a 
school-boy  in  England.  I  have  spoken  to  him  about  it.  Of 
course  he  does  not  like  leaving  you,  but  he  says  that  he  should 
like  it  a  thousand  times  better  than  perhaps  having  to  go  into 
some  humdrum  office  in  England." 

"  Thank  you,  Tom,"  Mrs.  Brooke  said  with  a  sigh.  "  It 
will  be  very  hard  to  part  with  him — terribly  hard — but  I  see 
that  it  is  by  far  the  best  thing  for  him,  and,  as  you  say,  in  a 
monetary  way  it  will  be  a  relief  to  me.  I  think  I  can  man- 
age very  comfortably  on  the  pension,  in  some  quiet  place  at 
home  with  the  two  girls,  but  Stanley's  schooling  would  be  a 
heavy  drain.  I  might  even  manage  that,  for  I  might  earn  a 
little  money  by  painting,  but  there  would  be  the  question  of 
what  to  do  with  him  when  he  left  school,  and  without  friends 
or  influence  it  will  be  hopeless  to  get  him  into  any  good  sit- 
uation. You  see,  Herbert's  parents  have  both  died  since  he 
came  out  here,  and  though  he  was  distantly  related  to  the  Earl 
of  Netherley,  he  was  only  a  second  cousin  or  something  of  that 
kind,  and  knew  nothing  about  the  family,  and  of  course  I 
could  not  apply  to  them." 

"  Certainly  not,  Nellie,"  her  brother  agreed.  "There  is 
nothing  so  hateful  as  posing  as  a  poor  relation — and  that  is  a 


A    NEW    CAREER  6 

connection  rather  than  a  relationship.     Then  you  will  leave 
the  boy  in  my  hands?" 

"  I  am  sure  that  it  will  be  best,"  she  said  with  a  tremor  in 
her  voice,  "  and  at  any  rate  I  shall  have  the  comfort  of  know- 
ing that  he  will  be  well  looked  after. ' ' 

Mrs.  Brooke  was  the  widow  of  a  captain  in  one  of  the  na- 
tive regiments  of  the  East  India  Company.  He  had,  six  weeks 
before  this,  been  carried  off  suddenly  by  an  outbreak  of  cholera, 
and  she  had  been  waiting  at  Calcutta  in  order  to  see  her 
brother  before  sailing  for  England.  She  was  the  daughter  of 
an  English  clergyman,  who  had  died  some  seventeen  years  be- 
fore. Nellie,  who  was  then  eighteen,  being  motherless  as  well 
as  fatherless,  had  determined  to  sail  for  India.  A  great  friend 
of  hers  had  married  and  gone  out  a  year  before.  Nellie's 
father  was  at  that  time  in  bad  health,  and  her  friend  had  said 
to  her  at  parting:  "  Now  mind,  Nellie,  I  have  your  promise 
that  if  you  should  find  yourself  alone  here,  you  will  come  out 
to  me  in  India.  I  shall  be  very  glad  to  have  you  with  me, 
and  I  don't  suppose  you  will  be  on  my  hands  very  long  ; 
pretty  girls  don't  remain  single  many  months  in  India."  So, 
seeing  nothing  better  to  do,  Nellie  had,  shortly  after  her 
father's  death,  sailed  for  Calcutta. 

Lieutenant  Brooke  was  also  a  passenger  on  board  the  Ava, 
and  during  the  long  voyage  he  and  Nellie  Pearson  became  en- 
gaged, and  were  married  from  her  friend's  house  a  fortnight 
after  their  arrival.  Nellie  was  told  that  she  was  a  foolish  girl, 
for  that  she  ought  to  have  done  better,  but  she  was  perfectly 
happy.  The  pay  and  allowances  of  her  husband  were  sufficient 
for  them  to  live  upon  in  comfort,  and  though,  when  the  chil- 
dren came,  there  was  little  to  spare,  the  addition  of  pay  when 
he  gained  the  rank  of  captain  was  ample  for  their  wants. 
They  had  been  in  fact  a  perfectly  happy  couple  —  both  had 
bright  and  sunny  dispositions  and  made  the  best  of  everything, 


4  ON    THE    IRRAWADDY 

and  she  had  never  had  a  serious  care  until  he  was  suddenly 
taken  away  from  her. 

Stanley  had  inherited  his  parents'  disposition,  and,  as  his 
sisters,  coming  so  soon  after  him,  occupied  the  greater  por- 
tion of  his  mother's  care,  he  was  left  a  good  deal  to  his  own 
devices,  and  became  a  general  pet  in  the  regiment,  and  was 
equally  at  home  in  the  men's  lines  and  in  the  officers'  bun- 
galows. The  native  language  came  as  readily  to  him  as  Eng- 
lish, and  by  the  time  he  was  ten  he  could  talk  in  their  own 
tongue  with  the  men  from  the  three  or  four  different  dis- 
tricts from  which  the  regiment  had  been  recruited.  His  fa- 
ther devoted  a  couple  of  hours  a  day  to  his  studies  ;  he  did 
not  attempt  to  teach  him  Latin,  which  would,  he  thought,  be 
altogether  useless  to  him,  but  gave  him  a  thorough  ground- 
ing in  English  and  Indian  history  and  arithmetic,  and  in- 
sisted upon  his  spending  a  certain  time  each  day  in  reading 
standard  English  authors. 

Tom  Pearson,  who  was  five  years  younger  than  his  sister, 
had  come  out  to  India  four  years  after  her.  He  was  a  lad  full 
of  life  and  energy.  As  soon  as  he  left  school,  finding  himself 
the  master  of  a  hundred  pounds,  the  last  remains  of  the  small 
sum  that  his  father  had  left  behind  him,  he  took  a  second- 
class  passage  to  Calcutta.  As  soon  as  he  had  landed  he  went 
round  to  the  various  merchants  and  offices,  and  finding  that 
he  could  not,  owing  to  a  want  of  references,  obtain  a  clerkship, 
he  took  a  place  in  the  store  of  a  Parsee  merchant  who  dealt  in 
English  goods. 

Here  he  remained  for  five  years,  by  which  time  he  had 
mastered  two  or  three  native  languages,  and  had  obtained  a 
good  knowledge  of  business.  He  now  determined  to  start  on 
his  own  account ;  he  had  lived  hardly,  saving  up  every  rupee 
not  needed  for  actual  necessaries,  and  at  the  end  of  the  five 
years  he  had  in  all  a  hundred  and  fifty  pounds.     He  had  long 


A    NEW    CAREER  0 

before  this  determined  that  the  best  opening  for  trade  was 
among  the  tribes  on  the  eastern  borders  of  the  British  terri- 
tory, and  had  specially  devoted  himself  to  the  study  of  the 
languages  of  Kathee  and  Chittagong.  Investing  the  greater 
portion  of  his  money  in  goods  suitable  for  the  trade,  he  em- 
barked at  Calcutta  in  a  vessel  bound  for  Chittagong.  There 
he  took  passage  in  a  native  craft  going  up  the  great  river  to 
Sylhet,  where  he  established  his  head- quarters,  and  thence, 
leaving  the  greater  portion  of  his  goods  in  the  care  of  a  na- 
tive merchant  with  whom  his  late  employer  had  had  dealings, 
scarted  with  a  native,  and  four  donkeys  on  which  his  goods 
were  packed,  to  trade  among  the  wild  tribes. 

His  success  fully  equalled  his  anticipations,  and  gradually 
he  extended  his  operations,  going  as  far  east  as  Manipur  and 
south  almost  as  far  as  Chittagong.  The  firm  in  Calcutta, 
from  whom  he  had  in  the  first  place  purchased  his  goods, 
sent  him  up  fresh  stores  as  he  required  them,  and  soon,  see- 
ing the  energy  with  which  he  was  pushing  his  business,  gave 
him  considerable  credit,  and  he  was  able  to  carry  on  his 
operations  on  an  increasingly  larger  scale.  Sylhet  remained 
his  head-quarters,  but  he  had  a  branch  at  Chittagong  whither 
goods  could  be  sent  direct  from  Calcutta,  and  from  this  he 
drew  his  supplies  for  his  trade  in  that  province.  Much  of  his 
business  was  carried  on  by  means  of  the  waterways  and  the 
very  numerous  streams  that  covered  the  whole  country,  and 
enabled  him  to  carry  his  goods  at  a  far  cheaper  rate  than  he 
could  transport  them  by  land,  and  for  this  purpose  he  had  a 
boat  specially  fitted  up  with  a  comfortable  cabin.  He  de- 
termined from  the  first  to  sell  none  but  the  best  goods  in  the 
market,  and  thus  he  speedily  gained  the  confidence  of  the  na- 
tives, and  the  arrival  of  his  boats  was  eagerly  hailed  by  the 
villagers  on  the  banks  of  the  rivers. 

He  soon  found  that  money  was  scarce,  and  that  to  do  a 


6  ON    THE    IRRAWADDY 

good  business  he  must  take  native  products  in  barter  for  his 
goods,  and  that  in  this  way  he  not  only  did  a  much  larger 
trade,  but  obtained  a  very  much  better  price  for  his  wares 
than  if  he  had  sold  only  for  money  ;  and  he  soon  consigned 
considerable  quantities  to  the  firm  in  Calcutta,  and  by  so  do- 
ing obtained  a  profit  both  ways.  He  himself  paid  a  visit  to 
Calcutta  every  six  months  or  so,  to  choose  fresh  fashions  of 
goods  and  to  visit  the  firm,  with  whom  his  dealings  every 
year  became  more  extensive.  But  though  laying  the  founda- 
tions for  an  extensive  business,  he  was  not,  as  he  told  his  sis- 
ter, at  present  in  a  position  to  help  her,  for  his  increasing 
trade  continually  demanded  more  and  more  capital,  and  the 
whole  of  his  profits  were  swallowed  up  by  the  larger  stocks 
that  had  to  be  held  at  his  depots  at  Sylhet,  Chittagong,  and 
at  the  mouths  of  the  larger  rivers.  Twice  since  he  had  been 
out  he  had  met  his  sister  at  Calcutta,  and  when  she  came 
down  after  her  husband's  death  and  heard  from  Tom's  agents 
that  he  would  probably  arrive  there  in  the  course  of  a  fort- 
night, she  decided  to  wait  there  and  meet  him.  He  was 
greatly  grieved  at  her  loss,  and  especially  so  as  he  was  unable 
to  offer  her  a  home ;  for  as  his  whole  time  was  spent  in  trav- 
elling, it  was  impossible  for  him  to  do  so ;  nor  indeed  would 
she  have  accepted  it.  Now  that  her  husband  was  gone,  she 
yearned  to  be  back  in  England  again  ;  it  was,  too,  far  better 
for  the  girls  that  she  should  take  them  home.  But  when  he 
now  offered  to  take  the  boy,  she  felt  that,  hard  as  it  would  be  to 
leave  Stanley  behind,  the  offer  was  a  most  advantageous  one 
for  him. 

The  boy's  knowledge  of  Indian  languages,  which  would  be 
of  immense  advantage  to  him  in  such  a  life,  would  be  abso- 
lutely useless  in  England,  and,  from  what  Tom  told  her  of 
his  business,  there  could  be  little  doubt  that  the  prospects 
were  excellent.      Stanley  himself,  who  now  saw  his  uncle  for 


A    NEW    CAREER  7 

the  first  time,  was  attracted  to  him  by  the  energy  and  cheeri- 
ness  of  manner  that  had  rendered  him  so  successful  in  busi- 
ness, and  he  was  stirred  by  the  enterprise  and  adventure  of 
the  life  he  proposed  for  him.  More  than  once  in  the  little 
frequented  rivers  that  stretched  into  Kathee  his  boats  had 
been  attacked  by  wild  tribesmen,  and  he  had  to  fight  hard  to 
keep  them  off ;  petty  chiefs  had  at  times  endeavoured  to  ob- 
struct his  trading,  and  when  at  Manipur,  he  had  twice  been 
witness  of  desperate  fights  between  rival  claimants  for  the 
throne.  All  this  was  to  a  boy  brought  up  among  soldiers  ir- 
resistibly fascinating,  especially  as  the  alternative  seemed  to 
be  a  seat  in  a  dull  counting-house  in  England.  He  was  then 
delighted,  when  his  mother  gave  her  consent  to  his  remaining 
with  his  uncle,  grieved  as  he  was  at  being  parted  from  her 
and  his  sisters.  The  thought  that  he  should  in  time  be  able 
to  be  of  assistance  to  her  was  a  pleasant  one,  and  aided  him 
to  support  the  pain  of  parting,  when,  a  week  later,  she  sailed 
with  the  girls  for  England. 

"I  suppose  you  have  not  done  any  shooting,  Stanley?" 
his  uncle  asked. 

"  Not  with  a  gun,  but  I  have  practised  sometimes  with 
pistols.     Father  thought  that  it  would  be  useful." 

"  Very  useful ;  and  you  must  learn  to  shoot  well  with  them 
and  with  fowling-piece  and  rifle.  What  with  river  thieves, 
and  dacoits,  and  wild  tribes,  to  say  nothing  of  wild  beasts,  a 
man  who  travels  about  as  I  do,  wants  to  be  able  to  shoot 
straight.  The  straighter  you  shoot,  the  less  likely  you  are  to 
have  to  do  so.  I  have  come  to  be  a  good  shot  myself,  and 
whenever  we  row  up  a  river  I  constantly  practise  either  at 
floating  objects  in  the  water,  or  at  birds  or  other  marks  in 
the  trees.  I  have  the  best  weapons  that  money  can  buy.  It 
is  my  one  extravagance,  and  the  result  is  that  to  my  boat- 
men and  the  men  about  me  my  shooting  seems  to  be  marvel- 


8  ON    THE    IRRAWADDY 

lous  ;  they  tell  others  of  it,  and  the  result  is  that  I  am  re- 
garded with  great  respect.  I  have  no  doubt  whatever  that  it 
has  saved  me  from  much  trouble,  for  the  natives  have  almost 
got  to  believe  that  I  only  have  to  point  my  gun,  and  the  man 
I  wish  to  kill  falls  dead,  however  far  distant." 

Two  days  after  the  departure  of  Mrs.  Brooke  her  brother 
and  Stanley  started  down  the  Hoogly  in  a  native  trader. 

"  She  is  a  curious-looking  craft,  uncle." 

"  Yes;  she  would  not  be  called  handsome  in  home  waters, 
but  she  is  uncommonly  fast,  and  I  find  her  much  more  con- 
venient in  many  ways  than  a  British  merchantman." 

"  Is  she  yours,  uncle  ?  " 

"  No,  she  is  not  mine,  and  I  do  not  exactly  charter  her, 
but  she  works  principally  for  me.  You  see  the  wages  are  so 
low  that  they  can  work  a  craft  like  this  for  next  to  nothing. 
Why,  the  captain  and  his  eight  men  together  don't  get 
higher  pay  than  the  boatswain  of  an  English  trader.  The 
captain  owns  the  vessel ;  he  is  quite  content  if  he  gets  a  few 
rupees  a  month  in  addition  to  what  he  considers  his  own  rate 
of  pay;  his  wife  and  his  two  children  live  on  board.  If  the 
craft  can  earn  twenty  rupees  a  week,  he  considers  that  he  is 
doing  splendidly.  At  the  outside  he  would  not  pay  his  men 
more  than  four  rupees  a  month  each,  and  I  suppose  that  he 
would  put  down  his  services  at  eight,  so  that  would  leave  him 
forty  rupees  a  month  as  the  profit  earned  by  the  ship.  In 
point  of  fact  I  keep  him  going  pretty  steadily.  He  makes 
trips  backwards  and  forwards  between  the  different  depots  ; 
carries  me  up  the  rivers  for  a  considerable  distance ;  does  a 
little  trade  on  his  own  account, — not  in  goods  such  as  I  sell, 
you  know,  but  purely  native  stores  ;  takes  a  little  freight  when 
he  can  get  it,  and  generally  a  few  native  passengers. 

"  I  pay  him  fifteen  rupees  a  week,  and  I  suppose  he  earns 
from  five  to  ten  in  addition,  so  that  the  arrangement  suits  us 


A    NEW    CAREER  9 

both  admirably.  I  keep  the  stern  cabin  for  myself.  As  you 
see,  she  has  four  little  brass  guns  which  I  picked  up  for  a 
song  at  Calcutta,  and  there  are  twenty-four  muskets  aft.  It  is 
an  arrangement  that  the  crew  are  to  practise  shooting  once  a 
week,  so  they  have  all  come  to  be  pretty  fair  shots,  and  the 
captain  himself  can  send  a  two-pound  shot  from  those  little 
guns  uncommonly  straight.  You  will  be  amused  when  you 
see  us  practising  for  action.  The  captain's  wife  and  the  two 
boys  load  the  guns,  and  do  it  very  quickly  too  ;  he  runs  round 
from  gun  to  gun,  takes  aim,  and  fires  ;  the  crew  shout  and  yell 
and  bang  away  with  their  muskets ;  I  take  the  command,  and 
give  a  few  pice  among  them  if  the  firing  has  been  accurate. 
We  have  been  attacked  once  or  twice  in  the  upper  waters,  but 
have  always  managed  to  beat  the  robbers  off  without  much 
difficulty.  The  captain  fires  away  till  they  get  pretty  close, 
and  I  pepper  them  with  my  rifles ;  I  have  three  of  them. 
When  they  get  within  fifty  yards,  the  crew  open  fire,  and  as 
they  have  three  muskets  each,  they  can  make  it  very  hot  for 
the  pirates.  I  have  a  store  of  hand  grenades,  and  if  they 
push  on,  I  throw  two  or  three  on  board  when  they  get  within 
ten  yards,  and  that  has  always  finished  the  matter.  They 
don't  understand  the  things  bursting  in  the  middle  of  them. 
I  don't  mean  to  say  that  my  armament  would  be  of  much  use 
if  we  were  trading  along  the  coast  of  the  Malay  Peninsula  or 
among  the  Islands,  but  it  is  quite  enough  to  deal  with  the 
petty  robbers  of  these  rivers." 

"  But  I  thought  that  you  had  a  boat  that  you  went  up  the 
rivers  in,  uncle?  " 

' '  Yes  ;  we  tow  a  row-boat  and  a  store-boat  up  behind  this 
craft  as  far  as  she  can  go,  that  is,  as  long  as  she  has  wind 
enough  to  make  against  the  sluggish  stream.  When  she  can 
go  no  further,  I  take  to  the  row-boat;  it  has  eight  rowers, 
carries  a  gun — it  is  a  twelve-pounder  howitzer  that  I  have 


10  ON    THE    IRRAWADDY 

had  cut  short  so  that  it  is  only  about  a  foot  long.  Of  course 
it  won't  carry  far,  but  that  is  not  necessary.  Its  charge  is  a 
pound  of  powder  and  a  ten-pound  bag  of  bullets,  and  at  a 
couple  of  hundred  yards  the  balls  scatter  enough  to  sweep  two 
or  three  canoes  coming  abreast,  and  as  we  can  charge  and  fire 
the  little  thing  three  times  in  a  minute,  it  is  all  that  we  require 
for  practical  purposes  ;  it  is  only  on  a  few  of  the  rivers  we  go 
up  that  there  is  any  fear  of  trouble.  On  the  river  from  Sylhet 
to  the  east  and  its  branches  in  Kathee,  or,  as  it  is  sometimes 
called,  Kasi,  the  country  is  comparatively  settled.  The 
Goomtee  beyond  Oudypore  is  well  enough  until  it  gets  into 
Kaayn,  which  is  what  they  call  independent.  That  is  to  say, 
it  owns  no  authority,  and  some  villages  are  peaceable  and  well 
disposed,  while  others  are  savage.  The  same  may  be  said  of 
the  Munnoo  and  Fenny  rivers.  For  the  last  two  years  I  have 
done  a  good  deal  of  trade  in  Assam  up  the  Brahmaputra  river. 
As  far  as  Rungpoor  there  are  a  great  many  villages  on  the 
banks,  and  the  people  are  quiet  and  peaceable." 

"Then  you  don't  go  further  south  than  Chittagong, 
uncle  ?  ' ' 

"  No.  The  Burmese  hold  Aracan  on  the  south,  and  indeed 
for  some  distance  north  of  it  there  is  no  very  clearly-defined 
border.  You  see  the  great  river  runs  from  Rangoon  very 
nearly  due  north,  though  with  a  little  east  in  it,  and  extends 
along  at  the  back  of  the  districts  I  trade  with ;  so  that  the 
Burmese  are  not  very  far  from  Manipur,  which  indeed  stands 
on  a  branch  of  the  Irrawaddy,  of  which  another  branch  runs 
nearly  up  to  Rungpoor.  We  shall  have  big  trouble  with  them 
one  of  these  days  ;  indeed  we  have  had  troubles  already.  You 
see  the  Burmese  are  a  great  and  increasing  power,  and  have  so 
easily  conquered  all  their  neighbours  that  they  regard  them- 
selves as  invincible.  Until  the  beginning  of  the  eighteenth 
century  the  Burmese  were  masters  of  Pegu ;   then  the  people 


A    NEW    CAREER  11 

of  that  country,  with  the  help  of  the  Dutch  and  Portuguese, 
threw  off  their  yoke.  But  the  Burmese  were  not  long  kept 
down,  for  in  1753  Alompra,  a  hunter,  gathered  a  force  round 
him,  and,  after  keeping  up  an  irregular  warfare  for  some  time, 
was  joined  by  so  many  of  iiis  countrymen  that  he  attacked 
and  captured  Ava,  conquered  the  whole  of  Pegu,  and  in  1759 
the  English  trading  colony  at  Negrais  were  massacred. 

•'This,  however,  was  not  the  act  of  Alompra,  but  of  the 
treachery  of  a  Frenchman  named  Levine,  and  of  an  Arme- 
nian, who  incited  the  Burmese  of  the  district  to  exterminate 
the  English,  hoping,  no  doubt,  thus  to  retrieve  in  a  new  quar- 
ter the  fortunes  of  France,  which  in  India  were  being  extin- 
guished by  the  genius  of  Clive.  The  English  were  at  the 
time  far  too  occupied  with  the  desperate  struggle  they  were 
having  in  India  to  attempt  to  revenge  the  massacre  of  their 
countrymen  at  Negrais.  Very  rapidly  the  Burman  power 
spread.  They  captured  the  valuable  Tenasserim  coast  from 
Siam,  repulsed  a  formidable  invasion  from  China,  annexed 
Aracan  and  dominated  Manipur,  and  thus  became  masters  of 
the  whole  tract  of  country  lying  between  China  and  Hindu- 
stan. As  they  now  bordered  upon  our  territory,  a  mission  was 
sent  in  1794  to  them  from  India,  with  a  proposal  for  the  set- 
tlement of  boundaries,  and  for  the  arrangement  of  trade 
between  the  two  countries.  Nothing  came  of  it,  for  the  Bur- 
mese had  already  proposed  to  themselves  the  conquest  of 
India,  and  considered  the  mission  as  a  proof  of  the  terror  that 
their  advance  had  inspired  among  us. 

"  After  the  conquest  by  them  of  Aracan  in  1784,  there  had 
been  a  constant  irritation  felt  against  us  by  the  Burmese,  ow- 
ing to  the  fact  that  a  great  number  of  fugitives  from  that 
country  had  taken  refuge  in  the  swamps  and  islands  of  Chitta- 
gong,  from  which  they  from  time  to  time  issued  and  made 
raids  against  the  Burmese.     In  181 1  these  fugitives,  in  alii- 


12  ON    THE    IRRAWADDY 

ance  with  some  predatory  chiefs,  invaded  Aracan  in  force,  and 
being  joined  by  the  subject  population  there,  expelled  the 
Burmese.  These,  however,  soon  reconquered  the  province. 
The  affair  was,  nevertheless,  unfortunate,  since  the  Burmese 
naturally  considered  that  as  the  insurrection  had  begun  with 
an  invasion  by  the  fugitives  in  Chittagong,  it  had  been  fo- 
mented by  us.  This  was  in  no  way  the  fact :  we  had  no 
force  there  capable  of  keeping  the  masses  of  fugitives  in  order, 
but  we  did  our  best,  and  arrested  many  of  the  leaders  when 
they  returned  after  their  defeat.  This,  however,  was  far 
from  satisfying  the  Burmese.  A  mission  was  sent  to  Ava  to 
assure  them  of  our  friendly  intentions,  and  that  we  had  had 
nothing  whatever  to  do  with  the  invasion,  and  would  do  all 
we  could  to  prevent  its  recurrence.  The  Burmese  govern- 
ment declined  to  receive  the  mission. 

"We  ourselves  had  much  trouble  with  the  insurgents,  for, 
fearful  of  re-entering  Burma  after  their  defeat,  they  now  car- 
ried on  a  series  of  raids  in  our  territory,  and  it  was  not  un- 
til 1S16  that  these  were  finally  suppressed.  Nevertheless  the 
court  of  Ava  remained  dissatisfied,  and  a  fresh  demand  was 
raised  for  the  surrender  of  the  chiefs  who  had  been  captured, 
and  of  the  whole  of  the  fugitives  living  in  the  government  of 
Chittagong.  The  Marquis  of  Hastings  replied  that  the  Brit- 
ish government  could  not,  without  a  violation  of  the  princi- 
ples of  justice,  deliver  up  those  who  had  sought  its  protection  ; 
that  tranquillity  now  existed  ;  and  there  was  no  probability  of 
a  renewal  of  the  disturbances,  but  that  the  greatest  vigilance 
should  be  used  to  prevent  and  punish  the  authors  of  any  raid 
that  might  be  attempted  against  Aracan.  A  year  later  a  sec- 
ond letter  was  received,  demanding  on  the  part  of  the  king 
the  cession  of  Ramoo,  Chittagong,  Moorshedabad,  and  Dacca, 
that  is  to  say,  of  the  whole  British  possessions  east  of  the 
Ganges.     Lord  Hastings  simply  replied  that  if  it  was  possible 


A    NEW    CAREER  13 

to  suppose  that  the  demand  had  been  dictated  by  the  King  of 
Ava,  the  British  government  would  be  justified  in  regarding  it 
as  a  declaration  of  war. 

"  To  this  the  Burmese  made  no  reply  ;  doubtless  they  had 
heard  of  the  successes  we  had  gained  in  Central  India,  and 
had  learned  that  our  whole  force  was  disposable  against  them. 
Three  years  ago  the  old  king  died,  and  a  more  warlike  mon- 
arch succeeded  him.  Since  1S10  they  have  been  mixed  up 
in  the  troubles  that  have  been  going  on  in  Assam,  where  a 
civil  war  had  been  raging.  One  party  or  other  has  sought 
their  assistance,  and  fighting  has  been  going  on  there  nearly 
incessantly,  and  two  months  ago  the  Burmese  settled  the 
question  by  themselves  taking  possession  of  the  whole  coun- 
try. This  has,  of  course,  been  a  serious  blow  to  me. 
Although  disorder  has  reigned,  it  has  not  interfered  with  my 
trading  along  the  banks  of  the  river ;  but  now  that  the  Bur- 
mese have  set  up  their  authority,  I  shall,  for  a  time  anyhow, 
be  obliged  to  give  up  my  operations  there,  for  they  have 
evinced  considerable  hostility  to  us — have  made  raids  near 
Rungpoor  on  our  side  of  the  river,  and  have  pulled  down  a 
British  flag  on  an  island  in  the  Brahmaputra.  We  have 
taken,  in  consequence,  the  principality  of  Cachar  under  our 
protection — indeed  its  two  princes,  seeing  that  the  Burmese 
were  beginning  to  invade  their  country,  invited  us  to  take 
this  step — and  we  thus  occupy  the  passes  from  Manipur  into 
the  low  country  of  Sylhet." 

"I  wonder  that  you  have  been  able  to  trade  in  Manipur, 
uncle,  as  the  Burmese  have  been  masters  there." 

"  I  am  not  trading  with  the  capital  itself,  and  the  Burmese 
have  been  too  occupied  with  their  affairs  in  Assam  to  exercise 
much  authority  in  the  country.  Besides,  you  see  there  has 
not  been  war  between  the  two  countries.  Our  merchants  at 
Rangoon  still  carry  on  their  trade  up  the  Irrawaddy,  and  in 


14  ON    THE    IRRAWADDY 

Assam  this  spring  the  only  trouble  I  had,  was,  that  I  had  to 
pay  somewhat  higher  tolls  than  I  had  done  before.  However, 
now  that  Cachar  is  under  our  protection,  I  hope  that  I  shall 
make  up  for  my  loss  of  trade  in  Assam  by  doing  better  than 
before  in  that  province." 

"  I  thought  you  called  it  Kathee,  uncle?  " 

"  So  it  is  generally  named;  but  as  it  is  spoken  of  as  Cachar 
in  the  proclamation  assuming  the  protectorate,  I  suppose  it 
will  be  called  so  in  future ;  but  all  these  names  out  here  are 
spelt  pretty  much  according  to  fancy." 

While  this  conversation  had  been  going  on  the  boat  had 
been  running  fast  down  the  river,  passing  several  European 
vessels  almost  as  if  they  had  been  standing  still. 

"  I  should  not  have  thought  that  a  boat  like  this  would 
pass  these  large  ships,"  Stanley  said. 

"  We  have  a  good  deal  to  learn  in  the  art  of  sailing  yet," 
his  uncle  replied.  "  A  great  many  of  these  Indian  dhows 
can  run  away  from  a  square-rigged  ship  in  light  weather.  I 
don't  know  whether  it  is  the  lines  of  their  hulls  or  the  cut  of 
the  sails,  but  there  is  no  doubt  about  their  speed.  They  seem 
to  skim  over  the  water  while  our  bluff-bowed  craft  shove  their 
way  through  it.  I  suppose  some  day  we  shall  adopt  these 
long  sharp  bows;  when  we  do  it  will  make  a  wonderful  differ- 
ence in  our  rate  of  sailing.  Then,  too,  these  craft  have  a 
very  light  draft  of  water ;  but,  on  the  other  hand,  they  have  a 
deep  keel  which  helps  them  to  lie  close  to  the  wind,  and  that 
long  overhanging  bow  renders  them  capital  craft  in  heavy 
weather,  for  as  they  meet  the  sea  they  rise  over  it  gradually, 
instead  of  its  hitting  them  full  on  the  bow  as  it  does  our  ships. 
We  have  much  to  learn  yet  in  the  way  of  shipbuilding." 

The  trader  had  his  own  servant  with  him,  and  the  man 
now  came  up  and  said  that  a  meal  was  ready,  and  they  at 
once  entered  the  cabin.     It  was  roomy  and  comfortable,  and 


A    NEW    CAREER  15 

was,  like  the  rest  of  the  boat,  of  varnished  teak.  There  were 
large  windows  in  the  stern  ;  it  had  a  table  with  two  fixed 
benches,  and  there  were  broad,  low  sofas  on  each  side. 
Above  these  the  muskets  were  disposed  in  racks,  while  at  the 
end  by  the  door  were  Tom  Pearson's  own  rifles,  four  brace  of 
pistols,  and  a  couple  of  swords.  Ten  long  spears  were  sus- 
pended from  the  roof  of  the  cabin  in  leather  slings.  The 
floor,  like  the  rest  of  the  cabin,  was  varnished. 

••  It  looks  very  comfortable,  uncle." 

"  Yes;  you  see  I  live  quite  half  my  time  on  board,  the  rest 
being  spent  in  the  boat.  My  man  is  a  capital  cook.  He 
comes  from  Chittagong,  and  is  a  Mug." 

'  •  What  are  Mugs,  uncle  ?  ' ' 

';They  are  the  original  inhabitants  of  Aracan.  He  was 
one  of  those  who  remained  there  after  the  Burmese  had  con- 
quered it,  and  speaks  their  language  as  well  as  his  own.  I 
recommend  you  to  begin  it  with  him  at  once.  If  things  set- 
tle down  in  Assam,  it  will  be  very  useful  for  you  in  arranging 
with  the  Burmese  officials.  You  won't  find  it  very  easy, 
though  of  course  your  knowledge  of  three  or  four  Indian 
tongues  will  help  you.  It  is  said  to  be  a  mixture  of  the  old 
Tali,  Sanscrit,  Tartar,  and  Chinese.  The  Tartar  and  Chinese 
words  will  of  course  be  quite  new  to  you — the  other  two  ele- 
ments will  resemble  those  that  you  are  familiar  with.  I  talk 
to  the  man  in  Hindustani;  he  picked  up  a  little  of  it  at  Chit- 
tagong, and  has  learned  a  good  deal  more  during  the  two 
vears  that  he  has  been  with  me,  and  through  that  you  will  be 
able  to  learn  Burmese." 

A  week  later  the  dhow  entered  the  harbour.  Stanley  had 
passed  most  of  his  time  in  conversation  with  Khyen,  Tom's 
servant.  The  facility  his  tongue  had  acquired  in  the  Indian 
languages  was  of  great  benefit  to  him,  and  he  speedily  picked 
up  a  good  many  Burmese  sentences. 


16  ON    THE    IRRAWADDY 

For  the  next  six  months  he  continued,  with  his  uncle,  the 
work  the  latter  had  carried  on,  and  enjoyed  it  much.  They 
sailed  up  the  sluggish  rivers,  with  their  low,  flat  shores,  in  the 
dhow,  towing  the  row-boat  and  the  store-boat  behind  them. 
The  crews  of  these  boats  lived  on  board  the  dhow  until  their 
services  were  required,  helping  in  its  navigation  and  aiding 
the  crew  when  the  wind  dropped  and  sweeps  were  got  out. 
The  villages  along  the  banks  were  for  the  most  part  small,  but 
were  very  numerous.  At  each  of  these  the  dhow  brought  up. 
There  was  in  almost  all  cases  sufficient  water  to  allow  of  her 
being  moored  alongside  the  banks,  and  as  soon  as  she  did  so 
the  natives  came  on  board  to  make  their  purchases  and  dispose 
of  their  produce.  In  addition  to  the  European  and  Indian 
goods  carried,  the  dhow  was  laden  with  rice,  for  which  there 
was  a  considerable  demand  at  most  of  the  villages.  As  soon 
as  he  had  learned  the  price  of  the  various  goods  and  their 
equivalent  in  the  products  of  the  country,  Stanley  did  much 
of  the  bartering,  while  his  uncle  went  ashore  and  talked  with 
the  head  men  of  the  village,  with  all  of  whom  he  made  a 
point  of  keeping  on  good  terms,  and  so  securing  a  great 
portion  of  the  trade  that  might  otherwise  have  been  carried 
by  native  craft. 

Three  times  during  the  six  months  the  dhow  had  gone  back 
to  Calcutta  to  fetch  fresh  supplies  of  goods,  and  to  take  in  an- 
other cargo  of  rice,  while  the  trader  proceeded  higher  up  the 
river  in  his  own  boats.  While  on  the  voyage  Stanley  always 
had  the  rifle  and  fowling-piece,  that  his  uncle  had  handed 
over  for  his  special  use,  leaning  against  the  bulwark,  close  at 
hand,  and  frequently  shot  water-fowl,  which  were  so  abundant 
that  he  was  able  to  keep  not  only  their  own  table  supplied, 
but  to  furnish  the  crew  and  boatmen  with  a  considerable 
quantity  of  food.  They  had  had  no  trouble  with  river  pirates, 
for  these  had  suffered  so  heavily  in  previous  attacks  upon  the 


A    NEW    CAREER  17 

dhow  that  they  shunned  any  repetition  of  their  loss.  At  the 
same  time  every  precaution  was  taken,  for  owing  to  the  intes- 
tine troubles  in  Cachar  and  Assam,  fugitives  belonging  to  the 
party  that  happened  for  the  time  to  be  worsted  were  driven 
to  take  refuge  in  the  jungles  near  the  rivers,  and  to  subsist 
largely  on  plunder,  the  local  authorities  being  too  feeble  to 
root  them  out.  The  boats,  therefore,  were  always  anchored 
in  the  middle  of  the  stream  at  night  and  two  men  were  kept 
on  watch.  To  the  south  as  well  as  in  the  north  the  trading 
operations  were  more  restricted,  for  the  Burmese  became 
more  and  more  aggressive.  Elephant  hunters  in  the  hills  that 
formed  the  boundary  of  the  British  territory  to  the  east  were 
seized  and  carried  off,  twenty-three  in  one  place  being  capt- 
ured and  six  in  another — all  being  ill-treated  and  imprisoned, 
and  the  remonstrances  of  the  Indian  government  treated  with 
contempt  by  the  Rajah  of  Aracan. 

It  was  evident  that  the  object  of  the  Burmese  was  to  pos- 
sess themselves  of  this  hill  country  in  order  that  they  might, 
if  they  chose,  pour  down  at  any  time  into  the  cultivated  coun- 
try round  the  town  of  Ramoo. 

"There  is  no  doubt,  Stanley,"  said  his  uncle  one  day, 
"we  shall  very  shortly  have  a  big  war  with  the  Burmese. 
The  fact  that  these  constant  acts  of  aggression  are  met  only  by 
remonstrances  on  our  part  increases  their  arrogance,  and  they 
are  convinced  that  we  are  in  mortal  terror  of  them.  They  say 
that  in  Assam  their  leaders  are  openly  boasting  that  ere  long 
they  will  drive  us  completely  from  India,  and  one  of  their 
generals  has  confidently  declared  that  after  taking  India  they 
intend  to  conquer  England.  With  such  ignorant  people  there 
is  but  one  argument  understood,  namely,  force  ;  and  sooner 
or  later  we  shall  have  to  give  them  such  a  hearty  thrashing 
that  they  will  be  quiet  for  some  time.  Still,  I  grant  that  the 
difficulties  are  great.  Their  country  is  a  tremendous  size,  the 
2 


18  ON    THE    IRRAWADDY 

beggars  are  brave,  and  the  climate,  at  any  rate  near  the  sea- 
coast,  is  horribly  unhealthy.  Altogether  it  will  be  a  big  job, 
but  it  will  have  to  be  done,  or  in  a  very  short  time  we  shall 
see  them  marching  against  Calcutta. ' ' 


CHAPTER    II 

THE    OUTBREAK    OF    WAR 

ON  the  last  day  of  September,  1823,  just  a  year  after  Stanley 
had  joined  his  uncle,  the  dhow  sailed  into  Chittagong, 
which  had  now  taken  the  place  of  Sylhet,  as  the  traders'  chief 
depot,  the  latter  place  being  too  near  the  Burmese  in  Assam 
for  him  to  care  about  keeping  a  large  stock  of  his  goods  there. 
He  went  ashore  as  soon  as  the  dhow  cast  anchor,  Stanley  re- 
maining on  board. 

"The  fat  is  all  in  the  fire,  Stanley,"  Tom  Pearson  said 
when  he  returned.  "The  Burmese  have  attacked  and  killed 
some  of  our  troops,  and  it  is  certain  that  the  government  can- 
not put  up  with  that." 

"  Where  was  it,  uncle?  " 

"  Down  at  the  mouth  of  the  Naaf.  As  you  know,  that  is 
the  southern  boundary  of  the  province,  and  there  was  a  row 
there  in  January.  One  of  our  native  boats  laden  with  rice 
was  coming  up  the  river,  on  our  side  of  the  channel,  when  an 
armed  Burmese  boat  came  across  and  demanded  duty.  Of 
course,  our  fellows  said  they  were  in  their  own  waters,  where- 
upon the  Burmese  fired  upon  them  and  killed  the  steersman. 
There  were  reports  then  that  bodies  of  Burmese  troops  were 
moving  about  on  their  side  of  the  river,  and  that  it  was  feared 
they  would  cross  over  and  burn  some  of  our  villages.  Accord- 
ingly our  guard  at  the  mouth  of  the  river  was  increased  to 


THE    OUTBREAK    OF   WAR  19 

fifty  men,  and  a  few  of  these  were  posted  on  the  island  of 
Shapuree.  This  island  lies  close  to  our  shore,  and  indeed  the 
channel  between  can  be  forded  at  low  water.  It  has  always 
formed  part  of  the  province  of  Chittagong,  and  there  has  never 
been  any  question  raised  by  the  Burmese  as  to  this.  However, 
the  Viceroy  of  Aracan  called  upon  our  resident  here  to  with- 
draw the  guard,  asserting  the  right  of  the  King  of  Ava  to  the 
island. 

"  Since  then  letters  have  passed  to  and  fro,  but  I  hear  that 
the  Burmese  have  settled  the  question  by  landing  on  Shapuree. 
One  night  last  week  they  attacked  our  post  there,  killed  and 
wounded  four  of  the  sepoys,  and  drove  the  rest  off  the  island. 
The  Indian  government  have  put  up  with  a  great  deal  rather 
than  engage  in  so  costly  and  difficult  an  operation  as  a  war 
with  Burma,  but  it  is  impossible  that  we  can  stand  this." 

The  Indian  government,  however,  used  every  endeavour 
to  avert  the  necessity  for  war,  although  the  Rajah  of  Aracan 
lost  no  time  in  writing  a  letter  to  the  government  of  Calcutta, 
stating  that  he  had  occupied  the  island  of  Shapuree,  and  that 
unless  they  submitted  quietly  to  this  act  of  justice,  the  cities 
of  Dacca  and  Moorshedabad  would  be  forcibly  seized.  In 
order,  however,  to  postpone,  at  any  rate,  the  outbreak  of  war, 
the  government  of  Bengal  resolved  to  give  the  court  of  Ava  an 
opportunity  to  withdraw  from  the  position  taken  up.  They 
therefore  acted  as  if  the  attack  on  the  guard  at  Shapuree  had 
been  the  action  of  the  Viceroy  of  Aracan  alone,  and  addressed 
a  declaration  to  the  Burmese  government  recapitulating  the 
facts  of  the  case,  pointing  out  that  Shapuree  had  always  been 
acknowledged  by  Burma  as  forming  part  of  the  province  of 
Chittagong,  and  calling  upon  the  government  to  disavow  the 
action  of  the  local  authorities. 

The  Burmese  considered  this,  as  it  was  in  fact,  a  proof 
that  the  government  of  India  was  reluctant  to  enter  upon  a 


20  ON    THE    IRRAWADDY 

contest  with  them,  and  confirmed  Burma  in  its  confident  ex- 
pectation of  annexing  the  eastern  portions  of  Bengal,  if  not  of 
expelling  the  English  altogether.  In  the  meantime  Shapuree 
had  been  reoccupied  by  us.  The  Burmese,  after  driving  out 
the  little  garrison,  had  retired,  and  two  months  after  the  at- 
tack two  companies  of  the  20th  Native  Infantry  arrived  by 
sea  from  Calcutta  and  landed  there.  A  stockade  was  built, 
and  two  six-pounders  placed  in  position.  Another  company 
was  stationed  on  the  mainland,  and  the  Planet  and  three  gun- 
boats, each  carrying  a  twelve-pounder,  were  stationed  in  the 
river.  The  Burmese  at  once  collected  large  bodies  of  troops, 
both  in  Aracan  and  Assam.  The  government  of  Bengal  made 
preparations  to  defend  our  frontier,  and  especially  the  position 
in  the  north,  as  an  advance  of  the  Burmese  in  this  direction 
would  not  only  threaten  the  important  towns  of  Dacca  and 
Moorshedabad,  but  would  place  the  invaders  in  dangerous 
proximity  to  Calcutta.  Accordingly  a  portion  of  the  10th 
and  23d  Native  Infantry,  and  four  companies  of  the  Rung- 
poor  local  force,  were  marched  to  Sylhet,  and  outposts  thrown 
forward  to  the  frontier. 

Seeing  that  the  Burmese  operations  would  probably  com- 
mence in  the  north,  Tom  Pearson  had,  after  completing  his 
arrangements  at  Chittagong,  sailed  north  to  remove  his 
depots  from  Sylhet  and  other  places  that  would  be  exposed  to 
an  attack  from  that  direction.  They  reached  Sylhet  the  first 
week  in  January.  By  this  time  Stanley,  from  his  constant 
conversation  with  his  uncle's  servant,  had  come  to  speak 
Burmese  as  fluently  as  the  Indian  languages.  He  was  now 
nearly  sixteen,  tall  for  his  age  and  active ;  but  owing  to  the 
hot  climate  and  the  absence  of  vigorous  exercise,  he  was  less 
broad  and  muscular  than  most  English  lads  of  his  age. 

They  found  on  landing  that  news  had  arrived  two  days 
before  that  a  powerful  army  of  Burmese  had  entered  Cachar 


THE    OUTBREAK    OF    WAR  21 

from  Manipur  and  had  defeated  the  troops  of  Jambhir  Sing, 
that  4000  Burmes  eand  Assamese  had  advanced  from  Assam 
into  Cachar,  and  had  begun  to  stockade  themselves  at  Bick- 
rampore  at  the  foot  of  the  Bhortoka  Pass,  and  that  the  third 
division  was  crossing  into  the  district  of  Jyntea  immediately 
to  the  north  of  Sylhet.  There  was  a  complete  panic  in  the 
town,  and  the  ryots  were  flocking  in  from  all  the  surrounding 
country  with  their  families  and  belongings,  and  were  making 
their  way  down  the  country  in  boats  to  Dacca. 

"  I  am  afraid,  Stanley,  there  is  an  end  of  trade  for  the  pres- 
ent. What  we  see  here  is  doubtless  taking  place  all  over 
Cachar,  and  it  would  be  just  as  bad  down  at  Chittagong.  It 
is  a  heavy  blow,  for  I  have  done  remarkably  well  this  year, 
and  was  building  up  the  foundations  for  a  good  business.  No 
doubt  when  this  trouble  is  over  I  shall  be  able  to  take  it  up 
again,  and  it  may  be  if  we  thrash  the  Burmese  heartily, 
which  we  are  sure  to  do  in  the  long  run,  it  may  even  prove  a 
benefit ;  still  there  is  no  doubt  that  it  is  a  very  bad  business 
for  me.  However,  as  just  at  present  there  is  nothing  what- 
ever to  be  done,  I  propose,  as  soon  as  the  goods  are  all  on 
board,  to  take  a  holiday  and  go  out  and  have  a  look  at  the 
fighting." 

"You  will  take  me  with  you,  uncle?"  Stanley  asked 
eagerly. 

"  Certainly,  lad,  we  don't  mean  to  do  any  fighting  our- 
selves, but  only  to  look  on ;  and  it  may  be  that  after  it  is  over 
you  may  be  able  to  make  yourself  useful  if  they  want  to  ask 
questions  of  any  Burmese  prisoners." 

"  You  think  that  there  is  no  chance  of  their  beating  us?  " 

"  I  should  think  not,  though  of  course  there  is  no  saying; 
still,  I  don't  think  these  fellows  will  be  able  to  stand  against 
our  troops.  Of  course,  they  have  no  idea  whatever  of  our 
style  of  fighting,  and  have  never  met  any  really  formidable 


22  ON    THE    IRRAWADDY 

foes,  so  that  I  imagine  we  shall   make  pretty  short  work  of 
them.     However,  as  we  shall  be  mounted — for  I  will  hire  a 
couple  of  horses,  there  have  been  plenty  of  them  driven  into 
the  town — we  shall  be  able  to  make  a  bolt  of  it  if  necessary. 
Of  course  we  will  take  our  rifles  and  pistols  with  us." 

The  goods  were  not  placed  on  board  the  dhow,  but  in  what 
was  called  the  store-boat,  as  the  trader  had  determined  to  take 
up  his  abode  in  his  row-boat,  which  could  move  about  much 
faster  than  the  dhow,  and  to  allow  the  captain  of  that  craft 
to  make  a  good  thing  of  it  by  taking  down  to  Dacca  as  many 
of  the  fugitives  as  she  would  hold. 

Finding  that  the  Burmese  division  that  had  entered 
Jyntea  was  intrenching  itself  at  a  few  miles'  distance,  Major 
Newton,  the  officer  commanding  on  the  Sylhet  frontier,  con- 
centrated his  force  at  Jatrapur,  a  village  five  miles  beyond  the 
Sylhet  boundary.  Tom  Pearson  had  introduced  himself  to 
Major  Newton  and  asked  permission  to  accompany  his  force, 
saying  that  his  nephew  would  be  able,  if  necessary,  to  com- 
municate with  the  Burmese  either  before  or  after  the  action, 
and  that  both  would  willingly  act  as  aides  -  de  -  camp.  The 
offer  was  accepted  with  thanks,  and  they  rode  out  with  him 
on  the  evening  of  the  16th  of  January,  1824,  to  Jatrapur. 

At  one  o'clock  in  the  morning  the  troops  were  roused, 
and  marched  an  hour  later.  At  daybreak  they  came  in 
sight  of  the  stockade,  and  a  few  shots  were  at  once  fired  upon 
the  advanced  guard  by  the  Burmese.  A  portion  of  their  force 
was  lying  in  a  village  hard  by. 

Major  Newton  at  once  divided  his  command  into  two 
bodies  ;  one  of  these  was  led  by  Captain  Johnston  against  the 
front  of  the  stockade,  the  other  under  Captain  Rowe  attacked 
the  village  adjoining.  The  Burmese  stationed  there  gave 
way  after  a  very  faint  resistance.  They  were  accustomed  to 
rely  always  on  stockades,  and  this  attack  upon  them  when 


THE    OUTBREAK    OF    WAR  23 

not  so  protected,  shook  them  at  once.  Those  in  the  stock- 
ade, however,  made  a  resolute  resistance.  Captain  Rowe,  after 
gaining  possession  of  the  village,  and  seeing  the  occupants  in 
full  flight,  moved  his  force  to  aid  the  other  division  ;  and  the 
Burmese,  dispirited  by  the  defeat  of  their  countrymen,  and 
finding  themselves  attacked  on  two  sides,  gave  way  and  fled, 
leaving  a  hundred  dead  behind  them,  while  on  the  British 
side  but  six  sepoys  were  killed. 

The  Burmese  fled  to  the  hills  at  a  speed  that  rendered  pur- 
suit hopeless  by  the  more  heavily  -  armed  troops,  and  the 
fugitives  soon  rallied  and  effected  their  junction  with  the 
division  advancing  from  Manipur.  After  the  action  Major 
Newton  returned  to  Sylhet,  and  a  few  days  later  Mr.  Scott, 
who  had  been  appointed  commissioner,  arrived  there,  and, 
advancing  to  Bhadrapur,  opened  communications  with  the 
Burmese.  As,  however,  it  became  evident  that  the  latter 
were  only  negotiating  in  order  to  gain  time  to  intrench  them- 
selves near  Jatrapur,  to  which  they  had  returned,  he  again 
placed  the  matter  in  the  hands  of  the  military  commanders. 

The  Burmese  force  amounted  to  about  six  thousand  men. 
They  had  erected  strong  stockades  on  each  bank  of  the  river 
Surma,  and  had  thrown  a  bridge  across  to  connect  them. 
Captain  Johnston  advanced  with  a  wing  of  the  ioth  Native 
Infantry,  a  company  of  the  23d  Native  Infantry,  and  a 
small  party  of  men  of  a  local  corps.  Small  as  was  this  force, 
he  divided  it  into  two  parties ;  one  of  these  under  Captain 
Rowe  crossed  the  river,  and  then  both  moved  against  the 
enemy.  The  Burmese  opened  fire  as  they  advanced,  but  the 
sepoys  marched  gallantly  forward,  and  drove  the  enemy  out 
of  their  unfinished  intrenchments  at  the  point  of  the  bayonet. 
The  Assam  division  retreated  hastily  to  the  Bhortoka  Pass, 
while  the  Manipur  force  stockaded  itself  at  Doodpatnee. 

The  Assam  division  was  first  attacked,  and  the  stockade 


24  ON    THE    IRRAWADDY 

carried  at  the  point  of  the  bayonet.  Lieutenant-Colonel 
Bowen,  who  now  commanded,  then  moved  against  the  posi- 
tion at  Doodpatnee.  This  was  very  strong ;  steep  hills 
covered  the  rear,  while  the  other  faces  of  the  intrenchments 
were  defended  by  a  deep  ditch  fourteen  feet  wide,  with  a 
chevaux  de  /rise  of  pointed  bamboos  on  its  outer  edge.  Al- 
though the  position  was  attacked  with  great  gallantry,  it  was 
too  strong  to  be  captured  by  so  small  a  force,  and  they  were 
obliged  to  withdraw  to  Jatrapur  with  the  loss  of  one  officer 
killed  and  four  wounded,  and  about  one  hundred  and  fifty 
sepoys  killed  and  wounded.  However,  their  bravery  had 
not  been  without  effect,  for  the  Burmese  evacuated  their 
stockade  and  retreated  to  Manipur,  leaving  Cachar  free  from 
its  invaders.  Thus  in  less  than  three  weeks  the  Burmese  in- 
vasion of  the  northern  provinces  had  been  hurled  back  by  a 
British  force  of  less  than  a  tenth  of  that  of  the  invaders. 

Stanley  and  his  uncle  had  been  present  at  all  these  en- 
gagements, and  in  the  absence  of  any  cavalry  had  done 
good  service  in  conveying  messages  and  despatches,  and 
the  lad  had  several  times  acted  as  interpreter  between  the 
officers  and  Burmese  prisoners.  Both  received  letters  from 
the  commissioner  thanking  them  for  the  assistance  that  they 
had  rendered. 

"  That  last  affair  was  unfortunate,  Stanley,  and  it  is  evi- 
dent that  these  stockades  of  theirs  are  nasty  places  to  attack, 
and  that  they  ought  to  be  breached  by  guns  before  the  men 
are  sent  forward  to  storm  them.  However,  as  the  Burmese 
have  gone,  our  repulse  does  not  matter  much.  Well,  I  felt 
sure  that  we  should  thrash  them,  but  I  certainly  gave  them 
credit  for  having  a  great  deal  more  pluck  than  they  have 
shown.  As  it  is,  if  there  is  nothing  fresh  takes  place  here, 
the  natives  and  little  traders  will  soon  be  coming  back  from 
Dacca,  and  business  will  be  better  than  before ;  for  the  Bur- 


THE    OUTBREAK    OF    WAR  25 

mese  have  been  talking  so  big  for  the  last  three  years  that 
no  one  has  bought  more  than  would  just  carry  him  on, 
while  now  they  will  be  more  inclined  to  lay  in  good  stocks 
of  goods.  To-morrow  we  will  start  for  Chittagong.  You 
see  I  have  a  considerable  store  there,  and  there  is  a  chance 
of  much  more  serious  fighting  in  that  quarter  than  this  little 
affair  we  have  seen.  The  Governor  of  Aracan  has  all  along 
been  the  source  of  troubles,  and  we  may  expect  that  he  will 
cross  into  the  province  at  the  head  of  a  large  force,  and  may 
do  an  immense  deal  of  damage  before  we  can  get  enough 
troops  there  to  oppose  him." 

Descending  the  river  they  coasted  along  until  they  ar- 
rived, early  in  March,  at  Chittagong.  They  found  that 
great  alarm  reigned  there.  In  January,  Bandoola,  the 
greatest  military  leader  of  the  Burmese,  who  was  known 
to  have  been  one  of  the  most  strenuous  supporters  of  the 
war  policy  at  the  court  of  Ava,  had  arrived  at  Aracan  and 
taken  the  command  of  the  troops  collected  there,  and  had 
brought  with  him  considerable  reinforcements.  A  wanton 
outrage  that  had  been  committed  by  the  Burmese  showed 
how  intent  they  were  upon  hostilities.  Owing  to  the  un- 
healthiness  of  the  islet  of  Shapuree  the  sepoys  stationed 
there  had  been  withdrawn,  and  the  Company's  pilot  vessel 
Sophia  was  ordered  to  join  the  gunboats  off  that  island. 
Four  deputies  from  the  Burmese  court  arrived  at  Mungdoo 
on  the  opposite  shore,  and  these  invited  the  commander  of 
the  Sophia  to  come  on  shore  in  order  that  they  might  talk 
over  with  him  in  a  friendly  way  the  situation  of  affairs.  He 
unsuspectingly  accepted  their  invitation  and  landed,  accom- 
panied by  an  officer  and  some  native  seamen.  The  party 
were  at  once  seized  and  sent  prisoners  to  Aracan,  where 
they  were  detained  for  a  month  and  then  sent  back  to 
Mungdoo. 


26  ON   THE    IRRAWADDY 

This  wanton  insult  was  followed  by  a  formal  declaration 
of  war  by  the  government  of  India,  and  a  similar  document 
was  issued  by  the  court  of  Ava.  The  force  at  Sylhet  was 
reinforced,  and  that  in  Chittagong  increased.  It  consisted 
of  a  wing  of  the  13th  and  of  the  20th  Native  Regiments, 
and  a  battalion  of  the  23d,  with  a  local  levy,  amounting  in 
all  to  some  3000  men.  Of  these  a  wing  of  the  23d,  with 
two  guns,  and  a  portion  of  the  native  levies  were  posted  at 
Ramoo,  which  was  the  point  most  threatened  by  an  inva- 
sion from  Aracan.  It  was  in  the  north  that  hostilities  first 
commenced,  .a  force  moving  into  Assam  and  driving  the 
Burmese  before  them  ;  several  sharp  blows  were  dealt  the 
enemy,  and  had  it  not  been  for  the  setting  in  of  the  wet 
season  they  would  have  been  driven  entirely  out  of  Assam. 

"  I  think,  Stanley,"  his  uncle  said,  after  he  had  been  a 
short  time  at  Chittagong,  "  you  had  better  go  up  to  Ramoo 
and  see  about  matters  there.  Of  course,  until  the  Burmese 
move  we  cannot  say  what  their  game  is  likely  to  be,  but  it 
will  be  as  well  to  get  the  stores  ready  for  embarkation  in 
case  they  should  advance  in  that  direction.  If  they  do  so 
get  everything  on  board  at  once,  and  you  can  then  be  guided 
by  circumstances.  As  the  dhow  came  in  yesterday,  I  can 
spare  both  our  boats,  and  shall,  of  course,  ship  the  goods 
here  on  board  the  big  craft.  Even  if  the  Burmese  come  this 
way  I  have  no  fear  of  their  taking  the  town,  and  shall,  of 
course,  lend  a  hand  in  the  defence  if  they  attempt  it ;  you 
can  do  the  same  at  Ramoo  if  you  like.  I  was  chatting  with 
Colonel  Shatland  yesterday  ;  he  tells  me  that  a  large  fleet  has 
been  collected,  and  that  an  expedition  will  be  sent  to  capture 
Rangoon,  so  in  that  case  it  is  likely  that  Bandoola  and  his 
force  will  march  off  in  that  direction. 

"  I  think  government  are  wrong.  It  will  be  impossible  for 
the  troops  to  move  when  the  wet  season  once  sets  in,  and  they 


THE    OUTBREAK    OF    WAR  27 

will  lose  a  tremendous  lot  of  men  from  sickness  if  they  are 
cooped  up  in  Rangoon.  They  had  very  much  better  have 
sent  a  few  thousand  men  down  here  to  act  on  the  defensive 
and  repel  any  attempted  invasion  until  the  rains  are  over, 
when  they  could  have  been  shipped  again  and  join  the  ex- 
pedition against  Rangoon.  It  seems  to  me  a  mad-headed 
thing  to  begin  at  the  present  time  of  the  year.  We  have  put 
up  with  the  insults  of  the  Burmese  for  so  long  that  we  might 
just  as  well  have  waited  for  the  favourable  season  before  we 
began  our  operations  in  earnest." 

Accordingly,  on  the  following  day,  Stanley  started  south 
for  Ramoo,  and  on  arriving  there  took  charge  of  the  trading 
operations.  Shortly  after,  meeting  Captain  Noton,  who  com- 
manded there,  in  the  street,  he  recognized  him  as  an  officer 
who  had  been  stationed  at  the  same  cantonment  as  his  father, 
and  whom  he  had  four  years  previously  known  well. 

"  You  don't  recognize  me,  Captain  Noton,"  he  said  ;  "I 
am  the  son  of  Captain  Brooke,  of  the  33d." 

"  I  certainly  did  not  recognize  you,"  the  officer  said, 
"but  I  am  glad  to  meet  you  again.  Let  me  think ;  yes, 
your  name  is  Stanley,  and  a  regular  young  pickle  you  used  to 
be.  What  on  earth  are  you  doing  here  ?  Of  course  I  heard 
of  your  poor  father's  death,  and  was  grieved  indeed  at  his 
loss.     Where  is  your  mother  ?     She  is  well,  I  hope. ' ' 

"  She  went  back  to  England  with  my  sisters  two  months 
after  my  father's  death.  I  joined  my  uncle,  her  brother. 
He  is  a  trader,  and  carries  on  business  in  the  district  between 
here  and  Sylhet,  trading  principally  on  the  rivers,  but  of 
course  the  war  has  put  a  stop  to  that  for  the  present.  We 
saw  the  fighting  up  in  the  north,  and  then  came  down  to  this 
district.  He  has  remained  at  Chittagong,  and  I  am  in  charge 
of  goods  here.  I  speak  Burmese  fairly  now,  and  if  I  can  be 
of  any  use  to  you  I  shall  be  very  glad  to   be  so.     There  is 


28  ON    THE    IRRAWADDY 

not  much  business  here,  and  the  Parsee  clerk,  who  is  gen- 
erally in  charge,  can  look  after  it  very  well.  I  acted  as 
interpreter  with  the  troops  in  the  north,  and  have  a  letter 
from  Mr.  Scott,  the  commissioner,  thanking  me  for  my  ser- 
vices. ' ' 

"  I  remember  you  used  to  be  able  to  talk  four  or  five  of  the 
native  languages,  but  how  did  you  come  to  pick  up  Bur- 
mese ?  ' ' 

"  From  a  servant  of  my  uncle's.  We  thought  that  there 
would  be  sure  to  be  war  sooner  or  later,  and  that  after  it  was 
over  there  would  be  a  good  chance  of  profitable  trade  on  the 
Burmese  rivers.  I  had  no  great  difficulty  in  learning  it  from 
my  uncle's  man,  who  was  a  native  of  Aracan." 

"  I  have  no  doubt  you  will  find  it  very  useful.  What  a 
big  fellow  you  have  grown,  Stanley  ;  at  least  as  far  as  height 
is  concerned.     Let  me  see.      How  old  are  you  now?  " 

"I  am  past  sixteen,"  Stanley  replied.  "I  have  had  sev- 
eral touches  of  fever,  caught,  I  suppose,  from  the  damp  on  the 
rivers,  but  I  think  that  I  am  pretty  well  acclimatized  now.  I 
know  I  don't  look  very  strong,  but  I  have  not  had  much  ac- 
tive exercise,  and  of  course  the  climate  is  against  me." 

"  Very  much  so.  I  wonder  that  you  have  kept  your  health 
as  well  as  you  have  in  this  steamy  climate.  I  am  going  to  the 
mess-room  now.  You  had  better  come  and  lunch  with  me, 
and  I  will  introduce  you  to  the  other  officers.  We  are  very 
strong  in  comparison  to  the  force,  for,  counting  the  assistant 
surgeon,  there  are  ten  of  us." 

"I  shall  be  very  glad,  sir,"  Stanley  said.  "I  have  cer- 
tainly been  feeling  rather  lonely  here,  for  I  know  no  one,  and 
there  is  very  little  to  do.  During  the  last  year  I  have  often 
gone  up  one  of  the  rivers  by  myself,  but  there  has  always  been 
occupation,  while  at  present  things  are  at  a  standstill." 

"  I  tell  you  what,  Brooke,  if  you  would  like  it,  I  can  ap- 


THE    OUTBREAK    OF    WAR  29 

point  you  interpreter.  There  is  not  one  of  us  who  speaks  this 
Mug  language,  which  is,  you  know,  almost  the  same  as  Bur- 
mese, and  the  officers  in  charge  of  the  native  levy  would  be 
delighted  to  have  some  one  with  them  who  could  make  the 
fellows  understand.  I  can  appoint  you  a  first-class  interpreter. 
The  pay  is  not  very  high,  you  know,  but  you  might  just  as 
well  be  earning  it  as  doing  nothing,  and  it  would  give  you  a 
sort  of  official  position  ;  and,  as  the  son  of  a  British  officer  and 
my  friend,  you  would  be  one  of  us." 

"  Thank  you  very  much,  Captain  Noton.  I  should  like  it 
immensely.     Should  I  have  to  get  a  uniform  ?  " 

"  There  will  be  no  absolute  necessity  for  it ;  but  if  you  get 
a  white  patrol-jacket  like  this,  and  a  white  cap-cover,  it  will 
establish  you  in  the  eyes  of  the  natives  as  an  officer,  and  give 
you  more  authority.  Oh,  by  the  way,  you  need  not  get  them, 
for  one  of  our  lieutenants  died  the  other  day  of  fever.  His 
effects  have  not  been  sold  yet,  but  you  may  as  well  have  his 
patrol-jackets  and  belts.  We  can  settle  what  you  are  to  pay 
for  them  afterwards  ;  it  will  only  be  a  matter  of  a  few  rupees, 
anyhow." 

They  now  arrived  at  the  house  that  had  been  taken  for  the 
use  of  the  officers.  On  entering,  Captain  Noton  introduced 
him  to  the  others,  and  as  several  of  these  had  at  various  times 
met  his  father  in  cantonments  or  on  service,  he  was  heart- 
ily welcomed  by  them,  and  at  luncheon  they  listened  with 
great  interest  to  his  accounts  of  the  fighting  in  Cachar  with 
the  Burmese. 

"  I  fancy  we  shall  find  them  more  formidable  here,  if  they 
come,"  Captain  Noton  said.  "  Bandoola  has  a  great  reputa- 
tion, and  is  immensely  popular  with  them.  From  what  you 
say,  a  considerable  proportion  of  the  fellows  you  met  up  there 
were  Assamese  levies  raised  by  the  Burmese.  I  grant  that  the 
Burmese  themselves  do  not  seem  to  have  done  much  better, 


30  ON    THE    IRRAWADDY 

but  they  would  never  have  conquered  all  the  peoples  they 
have  come  across,  and  built  up  a  great  empire  if  there  had  not 
been  good  fighting  stuff  in  them.  I  have  no  doubt  that  we 
shall  thrash  them,  but  I  don't  think  we  shall  do  it  as  easily  as 
our  troops  did  in  the  north." 

The  time  now  passed  pleasantly  with  Stanley ;  he  had, 
after  thinking  it  over,  declined  to  accept  payment  for  his  ser- 
vices, for  this  would  have  hindered  his  freedom  of  action  and 
prevented  his  obeying  any  instructions  that  his  uncle  might 
send  him.  He  therefore  joined  as  a  volunteer  interpreter,  and 
was  made  a  member  of  the  officers'  mess.  He  was  specially 
attached  to  the  native  levy,  and,  soon  acquiring  their  words 
of  command,  assisted  its  officers  in  drilling  it  into  something 
like  order. 

Early  in  May  a  Burmese  division,  8000  strong,  crossed  the 
Naaf  and  established  itself  at  Rutnapullung,  fourteen  miles 
south  of  Ramoo.  As  soon  as  Captain  Noton  learned  that  the 
Burmese  had  crossed  the  river  he  sent  news  of  the  fact  to  Chit- 
tagong,  with  a  request  that  reinforcements  should  be  at  once 
sent  to  him,  and  then  moved  out  with  his  force  from  Ramoo 
to  ascertain  the  strength  of  the  enemy.  The  Burmese  were 
seen  upon  some  hills,  where  they  were  constructing  stockades. 
The  small  British  force  advanced  against  them,  drove  them  off 
the  hills,  and,  following  them,  prepared  to  attack  them  in  the 
plain  beyond.  The  guns,  however,  had  not  come  up,  partly 
owing  to  the  cowardice  of  the  elephant-drivers,  and  partly  to 
the  fact  that  it  was  found  that  several  of  the  essential  parts  of 
the  guns  had  been  left  behind. 

Without  their  assistance  to  clear  the  way  Captain  Noton 
felt  that  it  would  be  imprudent  to  attack  so  great  a  force,  and 
therefore  fell  back  to  Ramoo.  Here  he  was  joined  by  three 
companies  of  the  20th  Native  Infantry,  bringing  up  his  force 
to  close  upon  a  thousand,  of  whom  about  half  were  sepoys  and 


THE    OUTBREAK    OF    WAR  31 

the  rest  native  levies.  Had  any  energy  whatever  been  shown 
by  the  officer  in  command  of  Chittagong  in  sending  up  rein- 
forcements,— which  he  could  well  have  spared,  now  that  the 
point  of  attack  by  the  Burmese  had  been  made  clear, — Cap- 
tain No  ton  might  have  taken  the  offensive,  in  which  case  se- 
rious disaster  would  have  been  avoided,  and  the  Burmese 
would  have  been  driven  back  across  the  Naaf.  None,  how- 
ever, came,  and  on  the  morning  of  the  13th  of  May  the  enemy 
appeared  on  the  hill  east  of  Ramoo,  being  separated  from  the 
British  force  by  the  river  of  the  same  name.  There  was  some 
difference  of  opinion  among  the  officers  as  to  whether  it  would 
be  better  to  maintain  a  position  outside  the  town  or  to  retreat 
at  once,  but  the  belief  that  reinforcements  might  arrive  at  any 
hour  caused  Captain  Noton  to  determine  to  keep  in  the  open 
and  so  to  cover  the  town  as  long  as  possible. 

On  the  evening  of  the  14th,  the  Burmese  came  down  to  the 
river  as  if  to  cross  it,  but  retired  when  the  two  six-pounder 
guns  opened  fire  upon  them.  That  two  small  guns  should 
produce  such  an  effect  confirmed  the  British  officers  in  their 
opinion  that  the  Burmese,  although  they  might  defend  stock- 
ades well,  were  of  little  use  in  the  open.  The  next  morning, 
however,  the  enemy  effected  the  passage  of  the  river  farther 
away,  and  then  advancing,  took  possession  of  a  large  tank 
surrounded  by  a  high  embankment.  Captain  Noton  placed 
his  force  in  an  enclosure  with  a  bank  three  feet  high.  His 
right  flank  was  protected  by  the  river,  and  a  small  tank,  some 
sixty  paces  in  front,  was  occupied  by  a  strong  picket.  On  his 
left,  somewhat  to  the  rear,  was  another  tank,  and  at  this  the 
native  levies  were  placed.  The  main  position  was  held  by 
the  sepoys  with  the  two  six-pounders.  As  the  Burmese  ad- 
vanced, a  sharp  fire  was  opened  upon  them,  but  they  availed 
themselves  of  every  irregularity  of  the  ground  and  of  cover 
of  all  kinds,  and  threw  up  shelter  banks  with  such  rapidity. 


32  ON    THE    IRRAWADDY 

that  the  fire  was  by  no  means  so  effective  as  had  been  ex- 
pected. 

During  the  day  news  came  that  the  left  wing  of  the  23d 
Native  Infantry  had  left  Chittagong  on  the  13th,  and  as  it 
should  arrive  the  next  day,  Captain  Noton  determined  to  hold 
his  ground  though  the  Burmese  continued  to  press  forward, 
and  a  good  many  men,  as  well  as  two  or  three  officers,  had 
been  wounded  by  their  fire.  At  nightfall,  a  consultation 
was  held.  The  reinforcements  were  expected  in  the  morning, 
and  although  the  native  levies  had  shown  signs  of  insubordina- 
tion, and  evidently  could  not  be  relied  upon  to  make  a  stand 
if  the  Burmese  attacked  in  earnest,  it  was  resolved  to  retain 
the  position.  During  the  night,  the  Burmese  pushed  forward 
their  trenches.  A  heavy  fire  was  maintained  on  both  sides 
during  the  day,  but  it  was  with  considerable  difficulty  that  the 
officers  in  command  of  the  levies  kept  the  men  from  bolting. 

"  Things  look  very  black,"  Captain  Pringle  said  to  Stan- 
ley, when  the  firing  died  away  at  nightfall.  "Reinforce- 
ments should  have  been  here  to-day;  it  is  scandalous  that 
they  should  not  have  been  pushed  forward  at  once  when  we 
asked  for  them.  Still  more  so  that,  when  they  once  started, 
they  should  not  have  come  on  with  the  greatest  possible 
speed.  I  doubt  whether  we  shall  be  able  to  hold  these  cow- 
ardly curs  together  till  to-morrow.  If  they  bolt,  the  sepoys 
will  be  sure  to  do  so  too ;  in  fact,  their  position  would  be 
altogether  untenable,  for  the  Burmese  could  march  round  this 
flank  and  take  them  in  rear.  I  wish  to  Heaven  we  had  two 
or  three  companies  of  white  troops  to  cover  a  retreat ;  there 
would  be  no  fear  of  the  sepoys  yielding  to  a  panic  if  they  had 
British  troops  with  them,  but  when  they  are  outnumbered,  as 
they  are  now,  one  can  hardly  blame  them  if  they  lose  heart, 
when  the  enemy  are  ten  times  their  strength,  and  will  be 
twenty  to  one  against  them  if  our  fellows  here  bolt." 


THE    OUTBREAK    OF   WAR  33 

The  next  morning  the  Burmese  had  pushed  up  their 
trenches  to  within  twelve  paces  of  the  British  lines,  and  a 
tremendous  fire  was  opened.  At  nine  o'clock,  in  spite  of 
the  efforts  of  their  officers  to  keep  them  steady,  the  native 
levies  bolted,  and  the  officers  with  them  dashed  across  the 
intervening  ground  towards  the  main  body.  One  of  them 
fell  dead,  and  two  others  were  wounded.  Stanley  was  run- 
ning when  he  fell  headlong,  without  a  moment's  thought  or 
consciousness.  The  Burmese  occupied  the  tank  as  soon  as 
the  levies  had  abandoned  it,  and  their  fire  at  once  took  the 
defenders  of  the  main  position  in  flank.  A  retreat  was  now 
necessary,  and  the  sepoys  drew  off  in  good  order,  but  as  the 
exulting  Burmans  pressed  hotly  upon  them,  and  their  cavalry 
cut  off  and  killed  every  man  who  fell  wounded  from  their 
ranks,  they  became  seized  with  a  panic.  In  vain  their  offi- 
cers exhorted  them  to  keep  steady.  Reaching  a  rivulet,  the 
men  threw  down  their  rifles  and  accoutrements,  as  they  crossed 
it,  and  took  to  headlong  flight. 

The  little  group  of  officers  gathered  together  and  fought  to 
the  end.  Captains  Noton,  Truman,  and  Pringle,  Lieutenant 
Grigg,  Ensign  Bennet,  and  Maismore  the  doctor,  were  killed. 
Three  officers  only  made  their  escape ;  of  these,  two  were 
wounded.  The  fugitives,  both  natives  and  sepoys,  continued 
their  flight,  and  when  two  or  three  days  later  they  straggled 
into  Chittagong,  it  was  found  that  the  total  loss  in  killed  and 
missing  amounted  to  about  two  hundred  and  fifty.  Those 
taken  prisoners  numbered  only  about  twenty.  All  these 
were  more  or  less  severely  wounded,  for  no  quarter  had 
been  given.  They  had  ir.  the  pursuit  been  passed  over  as 
dead,  and  when,  after  tu:~  ^as  over,  they  were  found  to  be 
alive,  they  were  spared,  *ora  no  feeling  of  humanity,  but 
that  they  might  be  sent  to  Ava  as  proofs  of  the  victory  ob- 
tained over  the  British.  The  number  actually  found  alive 
3 


34  ON    THE    IRRAWADDY 

was  greater,  but  only  those  were  spared  that  were  capable  of 
travelling.  Among  these  was  Stanley  Brooke.  He  had 
remained  insensible  until  the  pursuit  had  been  discontinued. 
A  violent  kick  roused  him  to  consciousness,  and  sitting  up, 
he  found  that  half  a  dozen  Burmese  were  standing  round  him. 
His  first  action  on  recovering  his  senses  was  to  discover  where 
he  was  wounded.  Seeing  no  signs  of  blood  on  his  white 
clothes,  he  took  off  his  cap  and  passed  his  hand  over  his 
head,  and  found  that  the  blood  was  flowing  from  a  wound 
just  on  the  top,  where  a  bullet  had  cut  away  the  hair  and 
scalp,  and  made  a  wound  nearly  three  inches  long,  at  the 
bottom  of  which  he  could  feel  the  bone.  Looking  up  at  the 
Burmese,  he  said  in  their  own  language  : 

"  That  was  a  pretty  close  shave,  wasn't  it?  " 
Two  or  three  of  them  laughed,  and  all  looked  amused. 
Two  of  them  then  helped  him  to  his  feet,  and  the  group, 
among  whom  there  were  some  officers,  then  took  him  some 
distance  to  the  rear,  where  he  was  ordered  to  sit  down  with 
three  wounded  sepoys  who  had  been  brought  in. 


CHAPTER   III 

A   PRISONER 

THE  little  group  of  prisoners  received  several  additions 
until  the  number  mounted  up  to  twenty.  The  spot 
where  they  were  placed  was  close  to  the  bank  of  the  river, 
and  as  all  were  suffering  severely  from  thirst,  Stanley  asked 
and  obtained  permission  from  the  guard  to  fetch  some  water. 
He  first  knelt  down  and  took  a  long  drink,  then  he  bathed 
his   head,  and  soaking  his  handkerchief  with  water,  mad*  & 


A    PRISONER  35 

into  a  pad,  placed  it  on  the  wound,  and  put  his  cap  on  over 
it,  then  he  filled  a  flask  that  he  carried,  and  joined  his  com- 
panions. These  were  permitted  to  go  down  one  by  one  to 
the  river  to  drink  and  bathe  their  wounds.  Stanley  had  al- 
ready learned  from  them  all  they  knew  of  what  had  happened, 
after  he  had  been  stunned  by  the  bullet.  Two  of  them  had 
crossed  the  rivulet  before  being  wounded,  and  these  said  that 
they  believed  all  the  white  officers  had  been  killed,  but  that 
they  thought  most  of  the  troops  had  got  away. 

"  It  is  more  than  they  deserved,"  Stanley  said  indignantly. 
"I  don't  say  much  about  the  Mugs;  they  had  very  little 
drill  or  discipline,  and  naturally  were  afraid  of  the  Burmese, 
who  had  long  been  their  masters,  but  if  the  sepoys  had  kept 
together  under  their  officers  they  might  all  have  escaped,  for 
the  Burmese  would  never  have  been  able  to  break  their  ranks. ' ' 

'•'Some  of  the  officers  had  been  killed  and  most  of  them 
wounded  before  the  retreat  began,  sahib,"  one  of  the  sepoys 
said  apologetically,  "  and  they  were  ten  to  one  against  us." 

"  Yes,  I  know  that ;  but  you  who  had  fought  before  should 
have  known  well  enough  that  as  long  as  you  kept  together 
you  could  have  beaten  them  off,  and  they  would  have  been 
glad  enough  to  have  given  up  the  pursuit  at  last.  No  doubt 
they  all  wanted  to  have  a  share  in  the  plunder  of  Ramoo. ' ' 

"  What  do  you  think  that  they  are  going  to  do  with  us, 
sahib?" 

"  From  what  they  said  as  they  brought  me  here  I  think 
that  we  shall  be  sent  to  Ava  or  Amarapura ;  they  lie  close 
together,  and  the  court  is  sometimes  at  one  place  and  some- 
times at  the  other.  What  they  will  do  with  us  when  we  get 
there  I  don't  know.  They  may  cut  off  our  heads,  they  may 
put  us  in  prison  ;  anyhow,  you  may  be  sure  that  we  shall  not 
have  a  pleasant  time  of  it.  All  we  have  to  hope  for  is  that 
the  capture  of  Rangoon  by  our  fleet  may  lower  their  pride 


36  ON    THE    IRRAWADDY 

and  bring  them  to  treat  for  terms.  It  sailed  nearly  six 
weeks  ago  from  Calcutta,  and  was  to  have  been  joined  by  one 
from  Madras,  and,  allowing  for  delays,  it  ought  to  have  been 
at  Rangoon  a  fortnight  since,  and  would  certainly  capture  the 
place  without  any  difficulty.  So  possibly  by  the  time  we 
reach  Ava  we  shall  find  that  peace  has  been  made.  Still,  the 
Burmese  may  not  consider  the  loss  of  Rangoon  to  be  import- 
ant, and  may  even  try  to  recapture  it,  which  you  may  be  sure 
they  won't  do,  for  I  heard  at  Chittagong  that  there  were  some 
twenty  thousand  troops  coming,  which  would  be  quite  enough, 
if  there  were  but  good  roads  and  plenty  of  transport  for  them, 
to  march  through  Burma  from  end  to  end." 

In  the  evening  food  was  brought  to  the  prisoners,  and  talk- 
ing with  some  of  the  Burmese  who  came  up  to  look  at  them, 
Stanley  learned  that  Bandoola  himself  had  not  accompanied 
the  force  across  the  Naaf,  and  that  it  was  commanded  by  the 
rajahs  who  ruled  the  four  provinces  of  Aracan.  Upon  the 
following  morning  the  prisoners  were  marched  away  under  a 
strong  guard.  Six  days  later  they  reached  the  camp  of 
Bandoola.  They  were  drawn  up  at  a  distance  from  the 
great  man's  tent.  He  came  down,  accompanied  by  a  party 
of  officers,  to  look  at  them.      He  beckoned  to  Stanley. 

"  Ask  him  if  he  is  an  officer,"  he  said  to  an  interpreter 
standing  by  his  side.  The  man  put  the  question  in  Hindu- 
stani.     Stanley  replied  in  Burmese: 

"  I  am  an  officer,  your  lordship,  but  a  temporary  one 
only ;  I  served  in  the  Mug  levy,  and  was  appointed  for  my 
knowledge  of  their  tongue." 

"  How  is  it  that  you  come  to  speak  our  language?"  Ban- 
doola asked  in  surprise. 

"  I  am  a  trader,  your  lordship,  but  when  our  trade  was  put 
an  end  to  by  the  outbreak  of  the  war  I  entered  the  army  to 
serve  until  peace  was  made.      I  learned  the  language  from 


•STANLEY    IS   BROUGHT    BEFORE    BANPOOLA    THE    BURMESE   GENERAL. 


A    PRISONER  37 

a  servant    in    the   service   of   my   uncle,    whose    assistant    I 
was. ' ' 

The  Burmese  general  was  capable  of  acts  of  great  cruelty 
when  he  considered  it  necessary,  but  at  other  times  was 
kindly  and  good-natured. 

'•  He  is  but  a  lad,"  he  said  to  one  of  his  officers,  "  and  he 
seems  a  bold  young  fellow.  He  would  be  useful  as  an  inter- 
preter to  me,  for  we  shall  want  to  question  his  countrymen 
when  we  make  them  all  prisoners.  However,  we  must  send 
him  with  the  others  to  Ava,  as  he  is  the  only  officer  that  we 
have  taken,  but  I  will  send  a  message  to  some  of  my  friends 
at  the  court  asking  them  to  represent  that  I  consider  he  will 
be  useful  to  me,  and  praying  that  he  may  be  kept  for  a  time 
and  treated  well,  and  may  be  forwarded  to  me  again  when  I 
make  my  next  move  against  the  English." 

The  following  day  the  prisoners  started  under  the  escort  of 
twenty  soldiers,  commanded  by  an  officer  of  some  rank,  who 
was  specially  charged  to  take  them  safely  to  Ava.  It  was  a 
fortnight's  march  to  the  Irrawaddy.  Until  they  neared  the 
river  the  country  was  very  thinly  populated,  but  when  they 
approached  its  banks  the  villages  were  comparatively  thick, 
standing  for  the  most  part  in  clearings  in  a  great  forest.  On 
the  march  the  Burmese  officer  frequently  talked  with  Stanley, 
asked  many  questions  about  England  and  India,  and  was  evi- 
dently surprised  and  somewhat  sceptical  as  to  the  account 
the  lad  gave  him  of  the  fighting  strength  of  the  country. 
He  treated  him  with  considerable  indulgence,  and  sent  him 
dishes  from  his  own  table.  When  not  talking  with  him  Stanley 
marched  at  the  head  of  the  little  party  of  prisoners,  all  of  whom 
were  sepoys,  no  quarter  having  been  given  to  the  native  levies. 
Of  an  evening  Stanley  endeavoured  to  keep  up  the  sepoys' 
spirits  by  telling  them  that  probably  by  this  time  the  British 
expedition  had  arrived  at  Rangoon  and  captured  it,  and  that 


38  ON    THE   IRRAWADDY 

peace  would  most  likely  follow,  and  they  might  be  exchanged 
for  any  Burmese  who  fell  into  the  hands  of  the  English. 
When  they  reached  a  village  on  the  banks  of  the  river,  the 
population  on  seeing  them  came  round  and  would  have  mal- 
treated them,  had  not  the  officer  interfered  and  said  he  had 
Bandoola's  orders  to  carry  them  safely  to  the  court,  and  that 
anyone  interfering  with  them  would  be  severely  punished.  The 
head  man  of  the  village  bent  low  on  hearing  the  general's  name. 

"  I  ask  your  pardon,  my  lord  ;  the  prisoners  shall  not  be 
touched.     But  have  you  heard  the  news?  " 

"  I  have  heard  no  news,"  the  officer  said. 

"  It  arrived  here  yesterday,  my  lord.  The  barbarians 
have  had  the  audacity  to  sail  up  with  a  great  fleet  of  ships 
to  Rangoon.  They  had  vessels  of  war  with  them,  and 
though  our  forts  fired  upon  them,  they  had  so  many  cannon 
that  we  could  not  resist  them,  and  they  have  captured  the 
town.     This  happened  a  fortnight  since." 

The  officer  stood  thunderstruck  at  what  appeared  to  him  to 
be  an  act  of  audacious  insolence.  However,  after  a  moment's 
pause,  he  said  wrathfully  : 

"It  is  of  little  matter.  The  town  was  weak  and  in  no 
position  for  defence,  but  a  force  will  soon  go  down  to  sweep 
these  barbarians  away.  Now,  get  ready  your  war  galley  as 
soon  as  possible." 

Each  village  on  the  river  was  compelled  by  law  to  furnish 
a  war  galley  for  the  king's  service,  whenever  it  might  be  re- 
quired. These  carried  from  fifty  to  a  hundred  men,  and 
some  three  hundred  of  these  boats  were  always  available  for 
service,  and  constituted  one  of  the  strongest  divisions  of  the 
fighting  force  of  the  Burman  empire. 

The  village  was  a  large  one,  and  in  half  an  hour  the  crew 
of  the  galley  were  on  board,  and,  rowing  forty  oars,  started 
up  the  river. 


A   PRISONER  39 

"  What  think  you  of  this  news?  "  the  officer  said,  beckon- 
ing to  Stanley  to  take  his  place  in  front  of  him.  "  These 
men  must  be  mad  to  tempt  the  anger  of  the  Lord  of  the 
Golden  Stool,  the  mighty  Emperor.  Had  you  heard  aught 
of  this?" 

"  I  heard  but  a  vague  rumour  that  a  fleet  had  been  col- 
lected, but  I  heard  nothing  for  certain  as  to  its  destination." 

"It  is  madness,"  the  officer  repeated.  "  We  shall  sweep 
them  into  the  sea.  How  many  of  them  are  there,  do  you 
think?" 

"As  to  that  I  can  say  little,  my  lord.  I  only  heard  a  re- 
port that  some  ships  and  troops  were  to  sail,  some  from 
Madras  and  some  from  Calcutta,  but  of  the  number  of  the 
men  and  ships  I  know  nothing  for  certain." 

"  They  have  taken  evil  council,"  the  officer  said  gravely. 
"  I  have  heard  that  they  gained  some  slight  advantage  in 
Cachar,  but  there  they  had  but  irregular  troops  to  meet, 
largely  Assamese,  who  are  but  poor  cowards.  This  little 
success  must  have  turned  their  heads.  They  will  now  have 
our  regular  forces  to  deal  with,  and  these  will  number  a 
hundred  thousand,  or  twice  as  many  if  necessary,  Think 
you  that  the  handful  that  would  be  transported  in  ships  can 
stand  against  such  a  host  ?  " 

"  There  may  be  more  than  you  think,  my  lord.  Many  of 
the  ships  will  be  very  big,  much  bigger  than  those  that  trade 
with  Rangoon,  and  some  of  them  will  carry  as  many  as  five 
hundred  men." 

"Even  so,"  the  officer  said  scornfully;  "if  there  were 
twenty-five  such  ships,  or  even  fifty,  the  force  would  be  as 
nothing  to  us.  They  will  have  to  take  to  their  vessels  as 
soon  as  our  army  approaches. ' ' 

"  It  may  be  so,  sir  ;  but  I  think  that  they  wall  scarce  go 
without  fighting.     I  would  represent  to  you    that   although 


40  ON    THE    IRRAWADDY 

much  fewer  in  numbers  than  your  army  which  attacked  us  at 
Ramoo,  the  troops  made  a  stout  fight  of  it,  and  that  they 
fought  steadily  until  the  Mugs  ran  away ;  after  that,  from 
what  I  hear,  I  admit  that  they  fled  shamefully.  But  the 
troops  that  come  to  Rangoon  will  be  better  than  those  were, 
for  there  will  be  white  regiments  among  them  ;  and  though 
these  may,  as  you  say,  be  overpowered  with  numbers  and 
destroyed,  I  do  not  think  that  you  will  see  them  running 
away." 

"  And  you  think  that  they  will  really  venture  to  withstand 
us?" 

"  I  think  that  they  will  endeavour  to  do  so." 

"  Why,  there  will  scarce  be  an  occasion  for  fighting,"  the 
officer  said  disdainfully  ;  "  they  were  mad  to  come,  they  are 
madder  still  to  come  now.  The  rainy  season  is  just  at  hand  ; 
in  another  week  it  will  be  upon  us  :  the  rivers  will  spread, 
the  flat  country  will  be  a  marsh.  Even  we,  who  are  accus- 
tomed to  it,  suffer.  In  places  like  Rangoon  fever  and  disease 
will  sweep  them  away,  and  when  the  dry  season  comes  and 
our  troops  assemble  to  fight  them,  there  will  be  none  left. 
They  will  die  off  like  flies  ;  we  shall  scarce  capture  enough  to 
send  as  prisoners  to  the  emperor." 

Stanley  felt  that  in  this  respect  the  Burman's  prophecies 
were  but  too  likely  to  be  fulfilled.  He  knew  how  deadly 
were  the  swamp  fevers  to  white  men,  and  that  in  spite  of  his 
comfortable  home  on  board  the  dhow  and  boat  he  had  him- 
self suffered,  although,  during  the  wet  season,  his  uncle  made 
a  point  of  sailing  along  the  coast,  and  of  ascending  only  rivers 
that  flowed  between  high  banks  and  through  a  country  free 
from  swamps.  He  remembered  that  his  uncle  had  spoken 
very  strongly  of  the  folly  of  the  expedition  being  timed  to 
arrive  on  the  coast  of  Burma  at  the  beginning  of  the  wet 
season,    and   had  said   that   they  would  suffer  terribly  from 


A    PRISONER  41 

fever  before  they  could  advance  up  the  country,  unless  it  was 
intended  to  confine  the  operations  to  the  coast  towns  until 
the  dry  season  set  in. 

It  would  indeed  have  been  impossible  to  have  chosen  a 
worse  time  for  the  expedition,  but  doubtless  the  government 
of  India  thought  chiefly  of  the  necessity  for  forcing  the  Bur- 
mese to  stand  on  the  defensive,  and  of  so  preventing  the 
invasion  of  India  by  a  vast  army.  Unquestionably,  too,  they 
believed  that  the  occupation  of  Rangoon  and  the  stoppage  of 
all  trade  would  show  the  court  of  Ava  that  they  had  em- 
barked in  a  struggle  with  no  contemptible  foe,  and  would  be 
glad  to  abate  their  pretensions  and  to  agree  to  fair  terms  of 
peace. 

The  Bengal  force  that  had  been  embarked  consisted  of  two 
British  regiments,  the  13th  and  38th,  a  battalion  of  native 
infantry,  and  two  batteries  of  European  artillery,  amounting 
in  all  to  2175  men.  The  Madras  force,  of  which  one  division 
was  sent  on  at  once,  the  other  was  to  follow  shortly,  consisted 
of  the  41st  and  89th  Regiments,  the  Madras  European  regi- 
ment, seven  battalions  of  native  infantry,  and  four  batteries 
of  artillery,  amounting  to  9300  men,  making  a  total  of 
11,475  fighting  men,  of  whom  nearly  five  thousand  were 
Europeans.  In  addition  to  the  transports  the  Bengal  force 
was  accompanied  by  a  flotilla  of  twenty  gun-brigs  and  as 
many  row-boats,  each  armed  with  an  eighteen-pounder,  the 
Lame  and  Sophia  sloop,  belonging  to  the  Royal  Navy,  several 
of  the  Company's  cruisers,  and  the  steamboat  Diana.  Gen- 
eral Sir  A.  Campbell  was  appointed  to  the  chief  command, 
and  Colonel  M'Bean,  with  the  rank  of  Brigadier-General,  com- 
manded the  Madras  force.  The  Bengal  squadron  sailed  from 
Saugur  in  the  middle  of  April,  and  reached  the  rendezvous, 
Port  Cornwallis,  in  the  Andaman  Islands,  at  the  end  of  the 
month.     The  Madras  first  division  sailed  at  the  same  time, 


42  ON    THE    IRRAWADDY 

and  joined  them  a  few  days  later,  and  the  whole  force  under 
the  escort  of  H.  M.  frigate  Liffey  and  the  Sidney  sloop -of- war, 
left  Port  Cornwallis  on  the  5th  of  May,  and  arrived  on  the 
9th  at  the  mouth  of  the  Irrawaddy. 

Forces  were  detached  for  the  capture  of  the  islands  of 
Chuduba  and  Negrais.  On  the  10th  the  fleet  entered  the 
river  and  anchored  within  the  bar,  and  on  the  following 
morning  proceeded  with  the  flood-tide  up  to  Rangoon,  the 
Liffey  and  the  Lame  leading  the  way.  A  few  shots  were 
fired  as  they  went  up  the  river,  but  the  Burmese  were  taken 
wholly  by  surprise,  the  idea  that  the  English  would  venture 
to  invade  them  never  having  entered  their  minds.  There  was 
considerable  disappointment  on  board  the  fleet  when  Ran- 
goon came  into  sight.  It  was  situated  on  the  north  bank  of 
the  main  branch  of  the  river,  thirty  miles  from  the  sea.  It 
extended  about  nine  hundred  yards  along  the  bank,  and  was 
six  or  seven  hundred  yards  wide  at  its  broadest  part.  Beyond 
the  town  were  some  suburbs  outside  the  palisade  that  inclosed 
it.  The  palisades  were  ten  or  twelve  feet  high,  strengthened 
by  embankments  of  earth  thrown  up  against  them  on  the  in- 
ner side.  One  face  of  the  defences  ran  along  the  river  bank, 
while  the  others  were  protected  by  a  shallow  creek  communi- 
cating with  the  river.  The  town  itself  consisted  for  the  most 
part  of  miserable  and  dirty  hovels  and  of  a  few  official  build- 
ings of  larger  size. 

At  twelve  o'clock  the  Liffey  anchored  abreast  of  the  prin- 
cipal battery  close  to  the  water  gate,  the  transports  being 
ranged  in  a  line  in  rear  of  her.  A  proclamation  had  been 
sent  on  shore  on  the  previous  day,  giving  assurances  of  pro- 
tection to  the  people  at  large  and  to  all  who  should  offer  no 
resistance.  When  the  guns  of  the  fleet  were  loaded  a  pause 
ensued.  The  town  was  evidently  incapable  of  offering  re- 
sistance,  and   it  was   hoped    that  it  would    capitulate.     The 


A    PRISONER  43 

Burmese  were  seen  standing  at  their  guns,  but  they  also 
remained  inactive,  apparently  paralysed  at  the  appearance  of 
this  great  fleet  of  vessels  of  a  size  hitherto  undreamt  of  by 
them,  and  the  threatening  guns  pointed  towards  them.  How- 
ever, they  were  at  last  goaded  by  the  orders  and  threats  of 
their  officers  to  open  fire  upon  the  ships.  The  frigate  at  once 
replied  with  a  broadside.  In  a  very  few  minutes  every  gun 
on  shore  was  silenced,  and  the  Burmese  fled  in  confusion 
from  their  works.  As  soon  as  they  did  so  the  signal  for  dis- 
embarkation was  made.  The  troops  crowded  into  the  boats, 
which  rowed  for  the  shore,  and  the  soldiers  entered  the  town 
without  resistance,  and  found  it  completely  deserted. 

The  whole  of  the  population  had  been  driven  out  by  the 
governor  on  the  previous  day,  and,  according  to  Burmese 
custom,  the  men  had  all  been  formed  into  a  levy,  while  the 
women  and  children  were  held  under  guard  as  hostages  for 
their  husbands  and  fathers,  their  lives  being  forfeited  in  case 
of  desertion  or  cowardice  by  their  male  relations.  The 
foreigners  in  the  town  had  all  been  seized.  They  were  few 
in  number,  consisting  of  some  eight  or  ten  British  traders 
and  American  missionaries  ;  these,  after  being  fettered,  were 
taken  to  the  Custom  House  prison.  They  were  brought  up 
and  tried  early  on  the  morning  of  the  attack,  and  were  ac- 
cused of  having  arranged  the  assault  on  the  town.  They 
naturally  urged  that  if  they  had  had  the  least  knowledge  that  it 
was  going  to  be  made  they  would  have  left  the  place  in  time. 
But  the  Burmese  at  once  condemned  them  to  death,  and  they 
were  taken  back  to  the  prison  to  be  executed.  The  sentence 
was  not  carried  out.  The  Burmese  had  intended  to  execute 
them  on  the  walls  in  sight  of  their  countrymen,  and  the  authori- 
ties had  all  assembled  at  the  prison  for  the  purpose,  when 
fortunately  a  shot  from  the  first  broadside  fired,  passed  through 
the  building,  causing  an  instant  stampede. 


44  ON    THE    IRRAWADDY 

The  chiefs  at  once  left  the  city,  and  the  prisoners,  heavily 
chained,  were  marched  some  distance  into  the  country.  A 
party  of  British  troops  were,  however,  pushed  forward  in  ad- 
vance of  the  town  as  soon  as  it  was  occupied,  and  the  guard, 
in  alarm  for  their  own  safety,  placed  the  prisoners  in  a  house 
and  made  off,  and  a  patrol  found  them  there  on  the  following 
morning  and  brought  them  into  the  town. 

The  great  pagoda,  standing  two  miles  and  a  half  from  the 
town,  was  at  once  occupied  as  an  advanced  position  by  the 
British.  It  stood  upon  a  conical  hill  rising  seventy-five  feet 
above  the  plain  ;  the  area  on  the  top  was  somewhat  over  two 
acres,  and  in  the  centre  rose  the  pagoda  three  hundred  and 
thirty-eight  feet  high. 

Every  boat  on  the  river  was  found  to  have  been  removed. 
In  spite  of  proclamations  promising  good  treatment,  none  of 
the  inhabitants  returned  to  the  town,  being  prevented  from 
doing  so  by  the  Burmese  authorities  and  troops.  No  stores 
whatever  had  been  found,  and  till  the  end  of  the  wet  season 
the  army  had  to  depend  entirely  upon  the  fleet  for  provisions, 
and  remained  cooped  up  in  the  wretched  and  unhealthy  town, 
suffering  severely  from  fever  and  malaria. 

The  boat  in  which  Stanley  and  the  other  prisoners  were 
conveyed  was  changed  at  every  village  going  up  the  river,  as 
the  officer  was  carrying  the  despatches  from  Bandoola  to  the 
court.  A  flag  was  hoisted  as  the  boat  came  in  sight  of  a  vil- 
lage. This  was  the  signal  that  another  was  required,  and 
within  two  or  three  minutes  of  their  arrival  the  prisoners,  their 
guard,  and  officer  were  on  their  way  again. 

Thus  they  proceeded  night  and  day,  and  in  four  days  ar- 
rived at  Ava.  Leaving  the  prisoners  in  charge  of  the  guard, 
the  officer  at  once  proceeded  to  the  palace.  In  an  hour  guns 
were  fired,  drums  beat,  and  the  bells  of  the  pagodas  rung  to 
give  notice  to  the  population  that  a  great  victory  had  been 


A    PRISONER  45 

won  over  the  English,  and  their  army  annihilated,  by  Ban- 
doola  and  his  valiant  troops.  This  obliterated  the  impres- 
sion produced  by  the  news  that  had  arrived  a  few  days  pre- 
viously of  the  landing  at  Rangoon,  and  there  were  great  re- 
joicings among  the  population.  An  officer  from  the  palace 
presently  came  down  to  the  boat,  and  the  prisoners  were 
marched  through  the  streets  to  a  jail,  amid  the  jeers  of  the 
mob.  Stanley  was  surprised  at  the  meanness  of  the  town ; 
the  great  majority  of  the  houses  being  built  of  bamboo  and 
thatched  with  grass,  and  having  a  very  poor  appearance.  The 
public  buildings  and  the  houses  of  the  great  officers  were  con- 
structed of  planks,  and  tiled,  but  were  heavy  and  tasteless, 
and  it  was  only  upon  the  innumerable  pagodas  in  and  around 
the  town  that  any  care  seemed  to  have  been  bestowed.  He 
had  wondered  much  at  the  numerous  pagodas  that  they  had 
seen  near  every  town  and  village  as  they  passed  up,  but  the 
officer  had  informed  him  that  these  were  all  private  property, 
and  that  it  was  considered  the  most  meritorious  of  actions  to 
erect  one,  consequently  every  man  who  had  means  to  do  so 
built  a  pagoda,  large  or  small  in  proportion  to  the  sum  that 
he  could  bestow  upon  it.  On  Stanley's  remarking  upon  the 
great  number  that  were  in  ruins,  the  officer  replied  that  it  was 
considered  so  much  more  meritorious  an  action  to  build  a 
pagoda  than  to  repair  one,  that  after  the  death  of  the  founder 
they  were  generally  suffered  to  fall  into  decay. 

For  some  days  the  prisoners  were  taken  out  every  day  and 
marched  about  the  town  for  some  time  so  as  to  afford  the  pop- 
ulation ocular  proof  of  the  victory  gained  by  Bandoola.  The 
place  in  which  they  were  confined  was  small  and  filthy,  but 
at  the  end  of  a  week  Stanley  was  taken  out  and  placed  in  a 
room  by  himself,  and  here  the  officer  who  had  had  charge  of 
him  paid  him  a  visit  an  hour  or  two  later. 

"  I  have  expressed  to  the  court,"  he  said,  "  the  wishes  of 


40  ON    THE    IRRAWADDY 

the  general,  and  have  had  permission  accorded  for  you  to  re- 
ceive different  treatment  from  the  others,  partly  because  you  are 
an  officer,  but  principally  because  the  general  thinks  that  you 
may  be  made  useful  to  him.  I  have  informed  the  officer  of 
the  prison  that  you  are  to  be  at  liberty  to  walk  about  in  the 
city  when  you  please,  but  that  to  protect  you  from  violence 
an  officer  and  two  soldiers  are  to  accompany  you  so  long  as 
you  may  think  such  a  precaution  necessary.  I  have  ordered 
a  dress  of  our  fashion  to  be  brought  to  you,  as  otherwise  you 
could  not  go  into  the  streets  without  being  mobbed." 

Stanley  expressed  his  gratitude  to  the  officer  for  obtaining 
these  indulgences,  and  the  latter  replied  : 

' '  I  acted  upon  the  orders  of  the  general,  but  it  has  been  a 
pleasure  to  me,  for  I  see  that  you  are  a  young  man  of  merit, 
and  I  have  learned  much  from  you  about  your  people  during 
the  journey,  and  have  seen  that  foolish  as  they  have  been  to 
undertake  to  match  themselves  against  us,  there  are  yet  some 
things  that  might  be  learned  from  them,  and  that  if  they  had 
remained  in  their  island,  many  months'  journey  away  from 
here,  they  might  have  been  worthy  of  our  friendship. ' ' 

A  short  time  after  the  officer  had  left,  a  soldier  brought  up 
some  food  of  a  very  much  better  nature  than  that  with  which 
Stanley  had  been  hitherto  supplied.  Half  an  hour  later  the 
dress  arrived.  It  was  that  of  a  Burmese  officer  of  inferior 
grade,  and  consisted  of  a  tunic  of  thick  cloth  coming  down 
to  the  knees,  leathern  sword  belt,  a  sort  of  tippet  resembling 
that  of  an  English  coachman,  with  three  layers  of  cloth 
thickly  quilted,  and  a  leathern  helmet  going  up  to  a  point  in 
the  centre  with  a  flap  to  protect  the  neck  and  ears ;  with  it 
were  worn  tight  -  fitting  stockings  of  cloth,  and  low  shoes. 
Presently  an  officer  came  in. 

"lam  ordered  to  go  out  with  you  once  a  day  at  whatever 
hour   you  may  desire.     I  am    a  relative  of  the  officer  who 


A    PRISONER  47 

brought  you  here,  and  he  has  requested  me  to  look  after  your 
safety. " 

"I  am  much  obliged  to  you,  sir,"  Stanley  said,  "and 
shall  be  glad  indeed  to  go  out  to  see  the  city.  Your  kinsman 
has  kindly  sent  me  a  dress ;  but  if  I  am  not  to  be  noticed  it 
will  be  necessary  for  me  to  stain  my  face  and  hands  some- 
what." 

"That  I  have  thought  of,"  the  officer  said,  "and  have 
brought  with  me  some  dye  which  will  darken  your  skin.  It 
would  be  worse  than  useless  for  you  to  dress  as  a  Burman  un- 
less you  did  so,  for  it  would  seem  even  more  singular  to  the 
people  in  the  streets  that  a  white  man  should  be  seen  walking 
about  dressed  as  an  officer,  than  that  a  white  prisoner  should 
be  taken  through  the  streets  under  a  guard.  I  am  ready  to 
go  out  with  you  now,  if  you  wish  it." 

"  I  shall  be  ready  in  a  few  minutes,"  Stanley  replied,  and, 
on  being  left  alone,  at  once  changed  his  attire  and  stained  his 
face  and  hands.  He  had  just  finished  when  the  officer  re- 
turned.     He  smiled  and  said  : 

"  There  is  no  fear  of  your  being  suspected  now,  and  you 
might  really  go  about  safely  without  a  guard,  unless  you  were 
to  enter  into  conversation  with  anyone.  You  speak  the  lan- 
guage very  well,  but  your  accent  is  not  quite  the  same  as  ours 
here,  though  in  Aracan  it  would  pass  unremarked." 

As  they  went  out  from  the  prison  the  officer  told  two  sol- 
diers who  were  waiting  there  to  follow  at  a  distance. 

"  Do  not  approach  us,"  he  said,  "  unless  I  call  you  up." 

The  houses  were  not  constructed  in  continuous  rows,  but 
were  very  scattered,  each  house  having  its  inclosure  or  garden. 
The  population  was  very  small  in  comparison  to  the  area  oc- 
cupied by  the  town.  This  was  divided  into  two  parts — the 
inner  and  outer  town.  The  whole  was  surrounded  by  a  brick 
wall,  five  miles  and  a  half  in  circumference,  some  sixteen  feet 


48  ON    THE    IRRAWADDY 

high  and  ten  feet  in  thickness,  strengthened  on  the  inside  by 
a  great  bank  of  earth.  The  inner  town  was  inclosed  by  a 
separate  wall,  with  a  deep  ditch  on  two  sides,  the  river  Irra- 
waddy  on  the  third,  and  a  tributary  river  on  the  fourth.  A 
considerable  portion  of  the  inclosed  area  was  occupied  by  the 
royal  quarter,  containing  the  palace,  the  court  of  justice,  the 
council  chamber,  arsenal,  and  the  houses  of  the  ministers  and 
chief  officials.  This  was  cut  off  from  the  rest  by  a  strong  and 
well-built  wall,  twenty  feet  high,  outside  which  was  a  stock- 
ade of  the  same  height.  The  total  population  of  Ava  was 
but  25,000. 

The  officer  did  not  take  Stanley  to  the  royal  quarter,  ob- 
serving that  it  was  better  not  to  go  there,  as,  although  he  had 
leave  to  walk  in  the  town,  it  might  give  offence  were  he  to 
show  himself  near  the  palace  ;  but  after  going  through  the 
wall,  they  visited  two  or  three  of  the  markets,  of  which  there 
were  eleven  in  the  town. 

The  markets  consisted  of  thatched  huts  and  sheds,  and  were 
well  supplied  with  the  products  of  the  country.  Here  were 
rice,  maize,  wheat,  and  various  other  grains  ;  sticks  of  sugar- 
cane, tobacco,  cotton,  and  indigo  ;  mangoes,  oranges,  pine 
apples,  custard  apples,  and  plantains  were  in  abundance ;  also 
peacocks,  jungle  fowl,  pigeons,  partridges,  geese,  ducks,  and 
snipes ;  but  little  meat  was  on  sale,  as  the  Burman  religion 
forbids  the  killing  of  animals  for  food.  Venison  was  the  only 
meat  allowed  to  be  sold  in  the  markets,  but  there  were  lizards, 
iguanas,  and  snakes,  which  were  exposed  freely  for  sale,  and 
there  were  large  quantities  of  turtle  and  tortoise  eggs,  which 
had  been  brought  up  from  the  delta. 

Stanley  saw  that  there  had  really  been  no  great  occasion  for 
him  to  stain  his  skin,  as  the  people  were  for  the  most  part 
lighter  in  colour  than  the  Hindoos.  Many  of  the  men  had, 
however,  stained  their  faces  to  a  darker  colour,  and  all  were 


A    PRISONER  49 

tattoed  more  or  less.  Men,  women,  and  children  were  all 
smoking,  and  frequently,  when  both  hands  were  required  for 
any  purpose,  thrust  their  cigars  into  the  large  holes  bored  in 
the  lobes  of  their  ears.  Both  men  and  women  were  somewhat 
short  in  stature,  but  squarely  built  and  muscular,  and  in  the 
majority  of  cases  inclined  to  be  fat. 

The  men  wore  a  sort  of  kilt,  consisting  of  a  double  piece  of 
cloth  wrapped  round  the  body  and  falling  to  the  knee  ;  over 
this  was  a  loose  tunic,  with  sleeves  open  in  front.  The  head- 
dress was  a  scanty  white  turban.  The  dress  of  the  women 
was  somewhat  similar  to  that  of  the  Hindoos,  consisting 
of  a  single  garment  like  a  sheet  wrapped  round  the  body, 
fastening  under  the  arms  and  falling  to  the  ankles.  Those 
of  the  upper  classes  were  more  elaborate.  The  rank  among 
the  women  was  distinguished,  so  Stanley's  guide  pointed 
out  to  him,  by  the  manner  in  which  the  hair  was  plaited 
and  twisted,  and  by  the  ornaments  in  it.  The  men,  like 
the  women,  wore  their  hair  long,  but  while  the  men  wore 
theirs  in  a  knot  at  the  top  of  the  head,  the  women  gathered  it 
in  at  the  back.  Their  faces  were  broad  at  the  cheek-bones, 
but  narrowed  in  sharply  both  at  the  forehead  and  chin.  The 
narrow  and  oblique  eyes  showed  the  relationship  between  the 
Burmese  and  their  Chinese  neighbours.  They  seemed  to 
Stanley  a  light  -  hearted,  merry  people,  going  about  their 
business  with  much  chatter  and  laughter,  and  the  sound  of 
musical  instruments  could  often  be  heard  inside  the  houses. 
Several  men  in  bright  yellow  garments  mingled  with  the 
crowds  in  the  market.  These  were  priests,  the  officer  told 
him,  and  it  would  be  a  mortal  act  of  sacrilege  were  anyone 
else  to  wear  that  colour. 

Stanley  remarked  upon  seeing  so  few  soldiers,  and  the  offi- 
cer told  him  that  there  was  no  regular  army  in  Burma.  Every 
man  capable  of  carrying  arms  was  obliged  to  serve  in  case  of 
4 


50  ON    THE    IRRAWADDY 

war,  but  with  the  exception  of  the  king's  body-guard  and  a 
very  small  body  of  men  who  were  police  rather  than  soldiers, 
there  was  no  force  permanently  kept  up.  Every  man  was  ex- 
pected to  know  something  of  military  duty,  and  all  were  able 
to  build  stockades.  From  the  fact  that  the  flesh  of  wild  fowl 
formed  one  of  the  principal  articles  of  food,  the  peasantry 
throughout  the  country  were  all  accustomed  to  the  use  of  the 
gun,  and  were  fair  marksmen. 

"  But  you  yourself  are  an  officer,"  Stanley  said. 

"  At  present  yes,  but  to-morrow  I  may  return  to  my  land. 
It  is  the  same  with  the  highest  minister  ;  one  day  he  may  be 
a  trader,  but  if  recommended  to  the  king  as  one  possessing 
ability,  straightway  he  is  chosen  to  be  a  high  official.  If  he 
does  not  please  the  king,  or  fails  in  his  duties,  then  the  next 
day  he  may  be  selling  cloth  in  the  bazaar  again.  Everything 
is  at  the  will  of  the  king.  Nobody  is  born  with  fortune  or 
rank,  for  everything  belongs  to  the  king,  and  at  a  man's  death 
all  goes  back  to  him.  Thus  everyone  in  the  land  has  an 
equal  chance.  In  war  the  bravest  becomes  a  general,  in  peace 
the  cleverest  is  chosen  as  a  councillor." 

Walking  about,  Stanley  soon  found  that  there  were  a  great 
variety  of  dialects  talked  in  the  streets,  and  that  the  language 
of  the  Burmese  of  the  coast,  of  the  natives  of  Pegu  and  the 
central  province,  and  of  those  from  districts  bordering  on  the 
Shan  states  or  the  frontiers  of  China,  differed  as  widely  as  those 
of  the  most  remote  parts  of  Great  Britain  did  from  each  other. 
This  being  so,  he  was  convinced  that  there  would  be  no  diffi- 
culty whatever  in  passing  as  a  native,  without  attracting  any 
observation  or  inquiry,  so  far  as  the  language  went.  His 
features,  and,  still  more,  the  shape  of  his  face,  might  however 
be  noticed  by  the  first  comer  in  the  daytime.  He  thought  in- 
deed that  a  little  tinge  of  colour  in  the  corner  of  the  eyes,  so 
as  to  lengthen  their  appearance  and  give  an  oblique  cast  to 


A    PRISONER  51 

them,  would  make  a  difference.  The  general  shape  of  the 
head  was  unalterable,  but  the  Burmese  nose  and  mouth  did 
not  differ  very  greatly  from  the  European,  except  that  the  nos- 
trils were  smaller,  and  in  shape  were  round  rather  than  oval. 

For  three  weeks  he  continued  the  same  life,  and  then  the 
Burmese  officer,  with  whom  he  had  now  become  very  friendly, 
said  when  he  entered  one  morning  : 

"You  must  not  go  out  to-day;  there  is  news  that  your 
people  have  made  two  forward  marches.  The  first  was  against 
a  stockade,  which  they  took,  and  killed  many  of  our  men  ; 
the  other  time  they  marched  out  four  or  five  miles,  had  a  fight 
with  our  troops,  and  again  killed  many.  These  things  have 
angered  the  king  and  the  people.  Of  course  it  is  nothing,  for 
our  troops  are  only  beginning  to  assemble,  but  it  is  consid- 
ered insolent  in  the  extreme,  and  the  king's  face  is  darkened 
against  your  countrymen.  Four  of  the  prisoners  have  been 
taken  out  this  morning  and  publicly  executed,  and  if  the  news 
of  another  defeat  comes,  I  fear  that  it  will  be  very  dangerous 
even  for  you." 

"  What  had  I  best  do,  my  friend  ?  " 

"  I  would  fain  save  you,  for  we  have  come  to  know  each 
other,  and  I  see  that  there  is  much  good  in  your  ways, 
though  they  differ  greatly  from  ours.  Were  I  to  take  you 
out  as  usual  you  might  be  killed  in  the  streets ;  were  you 
to  slip  away  and  escape  I  should  assuredly  be  put  to 
death  ;  but  if  in  any  way  I  can  help  you  I  would  fain  do 
so.  My  relation  who  brought  you  up  here,  left  a  fortnight 
since  to  rejoin  Bandoola,  so  his  influence  cannot  serve  you. 
I  do  not  say  that  you  might  not  escape  from  this  prison, 
since  you  are  not,  like  the  others,  confined  in  a  dungeon,  but 
I  see  not  what  you  could  do,  or  where  you  could  go.  Were 
you  to  disappear,  orders  would  be  sent  down  the  river  to 
every  village,   and  every  passing  craft  would  be  examined, 


52  ON    THE    IRRAWADDY 

and  you  would  be  sure  to  be  detected,  while  it  would  be  well- 
nigh  impossible  to  travel  the  country  on  foot,  for  it  is  but 
thinly  inhabited.  There  are  often  very  long  distances  be- 
tween the  villages,  and  much  of  the  country  is  swamp  and 
forest  without  paths,  for  the  village  trade  goes  by  the  river, 
and  they  have  little  communication  with  each  other.  I 
know  that,  from  what  you  say,  you  think  that  your  troops 
will  beat  ours  even  when  we  assemble  in  large  numbers. 
Were  this  so,  I  fear  that  there  would  be  little  chance  of  your 
life  being  spared.  Were  it  not  for  that,  I  should  say  that, 
Bandoola  having  recommended  you,  you  would  be  in  no 
danger  here  and  had  better  remain  until  peace  is  made. 
What  think  you  yourself  ?  " 

"It  is  very  difficult  to  reply  at  once,"  Stanley  said,  "  but 
I  thank  you  greatly  for  your  offer  to  befriend  me  in  any  way 
you  can.  I  do  not  say  that  I  had  not  thought  of  escape,  for 
I  have  of  course  done  so.  But  it  seemed  to  me  a  thing  in 
the  distance,  and  that,  at  any  rate  until  the  rains  were  over 
and  the  rivers  had  sunk,  it  would  be  useless  to  attempt  it. 
I  see  now  that  it  will  be  safest  for  me  to  try  without  delay. 
If  you  will  come  in  again  this  afternoon  I  will  tell  you  what  I 
have  thought  of." 

"  I  will  do  so,  and  I  myself  will  try  to  think  how  best  the 
matter  can  be  managed.  We  must  remember  that  the  great 
thing  is  for  you  to  find  concealment  for  the  present.  After 
the  search  for  you  has  been  made  for  some  time,  it  will  die 
away,  and  it  will  then  be  the  easiest  plan  for  you  to  make 
your  way  down  the  river. ' ' 


A   RUINED    TEMPLE  53 


CHAPTER   IV 

A     RUINED      TEMPLE 

AFTER  the  officer  left  him,  Stanley  sat  thinking  for  a 
long  time.  He  himself  inclined  strongly  towards  the 
river,  but  he  saw  that  at  present  the  difficulties  would  be 
very  great.  The  war  boats  were  passing  up  and  down,  and 
bodies  of  troops  were  being  carried  down  in  large  craft.  In 
every  village  the  men,  he  knew,  were  assembling  and  drilling. 
Even  in  Ava  he  could  see  the  difference  in  the  population, 
the  proportion  of  men  to  women  having  markedly  decreased 
since  his  arrival.  As  to  the  journey  by  land,  it  appeared  to 
him  impossible.  He  was,  too,  altogether  without  money, 
and  whether  by  water  or  land,  it  would  be  necessary  to  go 
into  the  villages  to  buy  provisions ;  indeed,  money  would 
have  been  almost  useless,  for  there  was  no  coined  money 
in  Burma,  payments  being  made  in  lead  for  small  amounts, 
or  in  silver  for  large  ones  — -  the  quantity  necessary  being 
cut  off  from  small  sticks  or  bars,  or  paid  in  filings.  It 
seemed  to  him  that  the  best  thing  would  be  to  take  to  the 
forest  for  a  time,  and  endeavour  to  subsist  upon  wild  fruits, 
or  if  these  were  not  to  be  found  there,  to  go  out  into  the 
fields  and  orchards  at  night,  and  so  manage  to  hold  on  for  a 
few  weeks. 

His  friend  told  him  that  in  the  forests  along  the  prin- 
cipal lines  of  route  to  the  capital  were  many  bad  characters — 
persons  who  had  committed  crime  and  fled  from  justice. 
Some  were  cultivators  who,  having  been  unable  to  pay  their 
taxes,  had  deserted  their  land  and  taken  to  the  woods.  All 
committed  depredations,  and   traders  coming  into  the  town 


54  ON    THE    IRRAWADDY 

from  the  Shan  states,  or  from  the  country  where  rubies 
and  emeralds  were  found,  always  travelled  in  caravans  for 
mutual  protection.  At  times  levies  were  called  out,  and 
many  of  these  marauders  were  killed. 

Stanley  then  had  hit  upon  nothing  definite  when  the 
officer  returned  in  the  afternoon,  and  in  reply  to  the  latter's 
question  he  acknowledged  at  once  that  the  only  thing  he 
could  see  was  to  take  to  the  forest  until  the  active  search  for 
him  had  ceased. 

"You  would  find  it  difficult  to  maintain  yourself.  I  have 
thought  of  a  better  way  than  that.  I  am  acquainted  with 
a  Phongee,  who  lives  in  a  temple  in  a  lonely  spot  four  miles 
away.  He  is  a  good  man,  though  somewhat  strange  in 
his  habits,  and  I  feel  sure  that,  on  my  recommendation, 
he  would  take  you  in.  There  would  be  little  chance  of 
your  being  discovered  there.  You  could  not  go  dressed 
as  you  are,  but  must  disguise  yourself  as  a  peasant,  though  it 
might  be  well  to  retain  your  present  attire,  which  may  be 
useful  to  you  afterwards.  I  fear  that  you  will  fare  badly  with 
him  in  the  way  of  food ;  there  will  be  enough  to  eat,  but  it 
will  be  of  the  simplest." 

"So  that  there  is  enough  to  keep  life  together  it  matters 
little  what  it  is." 

"Then  that  is  settled.  Now  about  making  your  escape 
from  here.  Your  door  is  closely  barred  at  night,  and  there  is 
no  window  save  those  four  little  holes  high  up  in  the  wall, 
which  scarce  a  bird  could  get  through." 

"  I  could  cut  through  the  thatch  above,"  Stanley  said,  "if 
I  had  but  something  that  I  could  stand  upon  to  do  so.  There 
are  some  bamboos  lying  just  at  the  bottom  of  the  steps.  With 
these  and  some  cord  I  might  make  a  sort  of  ladder,  and  should 
then  be  able  to  get  at  the  thatch." 

"  I  will  bring  you  some  cord  to-morrow  for  that  and  to  let 


A    RUINED    TEMPLE  55 

yourself  down  to  the  ground.  Then  I  will  arrange  where  to 
meet  you,  and  will  guide  you  out  of  the  town  and  take  you  to 
the  priest.  I  will  bring  a  disguise  for  you,  and  some  stain  for 
your  body  and  arms,  for  as  a  peasant  you  would  be  naked  to 
the  waist.      I  can  think  of  nothing  better." 

"  I  thank  you  most  heartily,"  Stanley  said,  "and  trust 
that  you  may  get  into  no  trouble  for  the  kindness  that  you 
have  shown  me." 

"  There  is  no  fear  of  that,  my  friend.  No  one  will  know 
that  I  have  been  away  from  the  town.  I  am  greatly  afraid 
that  this  will  be  all  that  I  shall  be  able  to  do  for  you,  for  I 
am  told  that  I  am  to  go  down  the  river  with  the  next  batch 
of  troops,  which  will  start  in  three  days.  I  have  only  been 
informed  of  it  since  I  saw  you  this  morning.  Had  it  not 
been  for  you  I  should  have  been  glad,  for  it  is  in  war  time 
only  that  one  can  obtain  honour  and  promotion. ' ' 

"I  am  sorry  that  you  are  going,  sir.  I  shall  miss  your 
kindness  sorely ;  but  I  can  understand  your  desire  to  go  to 
the  front.  It  is  the  same  with  us  ;  when  there  is  a  war  every 
officer  and  soldier  hopes  that  his  regiment  will  be  sent  there. 
However,  I  shall  see  you  again.  Has  Bandoola's  army  moved 
yet  ?  " 

"  No  ;  nor  do  I  think  that  it  will  do  so.  It  is  a  long 
march  down  to  Rangoon  from  Ramoo,  and  I  believe  that  he 
will  remain  where  he  is  until  he  sees  how  matters  go  at  Ran- 
goon. As  soon  as  your  people  are  driven  out  he  will  be 
joined  by  a  great  army,  and  will  march  to  Dacca.  There 
our  troops  from  the  north  will  join  him,  and  then  he  will  go 
to  India,  we  think." 

"I  fancy,"  Stanley  said  with  a  smile,  "if  he  waits  until 
we  are  turned  out  from  Rangoon  his  stay  at  Ramoo  will  be  a 
long  one." 

The  next  day  the  officer  brought  several  yards  of  strong 


56  ON    THE    IRRAWADDY 

cloth  such  as  was  worn  by  the  peasants,  a  piece  of  muslin  to 
make  the  circular  band  that  was  worn  by  the  lower  class 
instead  of  a  complete  turban,  and  a  lot  of  horse-hair  to  be 
worn  on  the  top  of  the  head. 

"  Now,"  he  said,  "strip  to  the  waist,  and  I  will  dye  your 
body.  I  have  dyes  of  two  colours  here,  one  for  the  skin  and 
the  other  to  draw  lines  on  the  face  so  as  to  make  you  look 
older,  and  with  this  I  can  also  imitate  tattoo  marks  on  your 
chest  and  shoulders.  Here  is  a  long  knife  such  as  everyone 
wears,  and  here  is  the  cord.  As  soon  as  it  is  getting  dark 
you  must  carry  up  two  of  the  bamboo  poles,  taking  care  that 
no  one  observes  you  do  so ;  there  is  seldom  anyone  in  the 
courtyard.  I  have  had  the  knife  sharpened,  and  it  will  cut 
through  the  thatch  easily  enough.  When  you  get  away  walk 
straight  to  the  market  that  lies  nearest  to  us.  I  will  be  at  its 
entrance.  It  will  take  you,  I  suppose,  two  hours  to  make 
your  ladder  and  get  out.  You  cannot  begin  until  the  guard 
closes  your  door.     You  tell  me  he  never  comes  in." 

"  No;  he  brings  the  last  meal  an  hour  before  sunset.  I 
generally  sit  on  the  top  of  the  steps  till  he  comes  up  to  lock 
the  door,  which  is  about  nine  o'clock,  and  I  do  not  see  him 
again  until  he  unbars  the  door  in  the  morning.  I  should 
not  think  that  it  will  take  as  long  as  two  hours  to  make  the 
ladder  and  cut  the  thatch  ;  at  any  rate,  by  eleven  I  ought  to 
join  you.     I  suppose  the  gates  are  open." 

"Oh,  yes!  they  are  never  closed,  though  of  course  they 
would  be  if  an  enemy  were  near.  There  is  no  guard  any- 
where. ' ' 

After  staining  Stanley's  skin  the  officer  waited  a  quarter  of 
an  hour  for  it  to  dry  thoroughly,  and  then  proceeded  to  draw 
lines  on  his  face,  across  the  forehead,  and  from  the  corners  of 
his  eyes,  and  then  spent  nearly  an  hour  in  executing  rough 
tattoo  marks  on  his  body  and  arms. 


A    RUINED    TEMPLE  57 

"This  dye  is  very  good,  and  will  last  for  weeks  before  it 
begins  to  fade.  I  will  bring  with  me  another  bottle  to-night 
so  that  you  can  at  least  re-dye  your  skin.  Here  is  some  wax, 
you  must  turn  your  hair  up  from  the  neck,  and  plaster  it  in  its 
place  with  it.  The  turban  will  prevent  anyone  seeing  how 
short  the  hair  is.  Here  is  a  little  bottle  of  black  dye,  with 
which  you  had  better  colour  it  before  fixing  it  with  the  wax." 

Stanley's  hair  had  not  been  cut  for  some  time  before  he 
had  been  captured  by  the  Burmese,  and  in  the  two  months 
that  had  since  elapsed  it  had  grown  very  long,  and  could 
therefore  be  turned  up  as  the  officer  suggested.  Putting  on 
his  usual  garments,  he  sat  at  his  place,  at  the  door  of  the  cell, 
until  the  guard  brought  up  his  evening  meal.  Having  eaten 
this,  he  dyed  his  hair,  and  half  an  hour  later  turned  it  up, 
plastering  it  with  wax,  and  tied  a  bit  of  fibre  round  where 
the  turban  would  come.  By  this  time  it  was  getting  dusk. 
He  sat  at  the  door  at  the  top  of  the  steps,  until  he  saw  that 
the  court-yard  was  deserted,  the  guard  at  the  gate  having 
gone  outside  to  enjoy  the  coolness  of  the  air.  Then  he  ran 
down  the  steps,  took  two  bamboo  poles  about  ten  feet  in 
length,  and  two  short  pieces  of  the  same  wood  no  thicker  than 
his  finger,  and  hurrying  up  the  steps  with  them,  laid  them 
down  against  the  side  of  the  room.  Then  he  went  to  the 
steps  again,  and  sat  there  until  he  saw  the  guard  coming 
across  to  fasten  his  door,  when  he  went  in,  and  as  soon  as  he 
heard  the  bars  put  up,  began  his  preparations. 

First  he  lashed  the  short  pieces  across  the  ends  of  the  two 
bamboos  so  as  to  keep  them  a  foot  apart,  then  he  put  ratlines 
across,  and  soon  had  the  ladder  completed.  He  made  up  his 
clothes  into  a  bundle,  wrapped  the  rough  cloth  round  his 
waist,  adjusted  the  knot  of  horse-hair  on  the  top  of  his  head, 
and  fastened  it  there  with  wax.  He  wound  the  turban  round 
below,   and    his  disguise   was  complete.      Fixing  the  ladder 


58  ON    THE    IRRAWADDY 

against  the  wall  he  climbed  it,  and  it  was  not  long  before  he 
cut  a  hole  through  the  thatch  of  sufficient  size  to  pass  out. 
The  work  had  taken  him  longer  than  he  had  expected,  for  it 
had  to  be  done  in  absolute  darkness ;  however,  he  was  sure 
that  he  was  well  within  his  time.  Fastening  the  end  of  the 
rope  to  one  of  the  bamboo  rafters,  he  descended  the  ladder, 
and  picked  up  his  bundle,  then  climbed  up  again,  got  half- 
way out  of  the  hole  and  listened  intently.  Everything  was 
quiet  in  the  street,  and  in  another  minute  he  stood  on  the 
ground.  When  he  turned  into  the  principal  street  there 
were  still  many  people  about.  Sounds  of  music  and  singing 
came  from  the  windows,  for  the  Burmese  are  very  fond  of 
music,  and  often  pass  the  whole  night  in  playing  and  singing. 
There  was  no  risk  whatever  of  detection  now,  and  he  stepped 
briskly  along  until  he  came  to  the  open  space,  with  its  rows 
of  little  thatched  huts.  Here  he  paused  for  a  minute,  and 
the  officer  stepped  out  from  behind  a  house  and  joined  him. 

"  I  was  not  sure  at  first  that  it  was  you,"  he  said  ;  "  your 
disguise  is  excellent.  You  had  better  follow  me  now  until  we 
get  beyond  the  busy  streets. ' ' 

Keeping  some  twenty  yards  behind  his  guide,  Stanley 
went  on  until,  after  nearly  half  an  hour's  walking,  they  passed 
through  a  gate  in  the  city  walls.  He  now  closed  up  to  the 
officer,  and  after  another  half-hour's  walk  across  a  cultivated 
country  they  entered  a  forest.  The  ground  now  rose  steadily, 
and,  after  keeping  on  for  two  miles,  they  emerged  from  the 
trees  at  the  top  of  a  hill.  The  space  had  been  cleared  of 
timber,  but  it  was  nearly  covered  with  bushes  and  young 
trees.  In  the  centre  were  the  ruins  of  a  temple  that  had  evi- 
dently existed  long  before  the  Burmese  dynasty  occupied  the 
country,  and  had  been  erected  by  some  older  race.  It  was 
roofless,  the  walls  had  in  places  fallen,  and  the  ruins  were 
covered    with    vegetation.       The    Burman    ascended    some 


A    RUINED    TEMPLE  59 

broken  steps,  entered  the  temple,  and  crossed  to  one  of  the 
opposite  corners.  A  dim  light  was  burning  in  a  small  apart- 
ment which  had  been  roofed  with  thatch.  A  man  was  lying 
dressed  on  a  heap  of  leaves  at  one  side.  He  started  up  as  the 
officer  entered. 

"  Who  is  it  who  comes  here  at  this  hour?  "  he  asked. 

"  Thekyn,"  the  officer  answered. 

"I  am  glad  to  see  you,"  the  Phongee  said,  "whatever 
may  bring  you  here.  You  have  not  fallen  into  trouble,  I 
hope?" 

• '  In  no  way,  good  priest.  I  am  starting  in  two  days 
down  the  river  to  fight  the  barbarians ;  but  before  I  go  I  want 
you  to  do  me  a  favour." 

The  Phongee  smiled.  "Beyond  naming  you  in  my 
prayers,  Thekyn,  there  is  but  little  that  a  hermit  can  do  for 
any  man." 

"  Not  so  in  this  case,"  the  officer  said.  "  I  have  one  here 
with  me  who  needs  rest  and  concealment.  I  would  rather 
that  you  did  not  ask  who  he  is.  He  has  done  no  crime,  and 
yet  he  is  in  danger ;  and  for  a  month  maybe  he  needs  a  shel- 
ter.    Will  you  give  it  him  for  my  sake?  " 

"Assuredly  I  will,"  the  priest  said.  "Your  father  was 
one  of  my  dearest  friends  in  the  days  when  I  dwelt  in  the  city  ; 
I  would  gladly  do  all  in  my  power  for  his  son,  and  this  is  but 
a  small  thing  that  you  ask.     Let  him  enter." 

Stanley  went  in.  The  priest  took  down  the  little  lamp 
from  a  shelf  on  which  it  stood  and  held  it  near  the  lad's  face. 
Then  he  turned  with  a  smile  to  Thekyn  : 

"The  painting  is  but  clumsily  done,"  he  said,  "though 
maybe  it  would  pass  without  close  examination.  He  is  a 
stranger  and  comes  of  a  race  unknown  to  me,  but,  as  you  said, 
it  matters  not  to  me  who  he  is  ;  suffice  that  he  is  a  friend  of 
yours.     He  is  welcome  to  a  -hare  of  my  shelter  and  my  food, 


60  ON    THE    IRRAWADDY 

though  the  shelter  is  rough  and  the  food  somewhat  scanty. 
Of  late  few  indeed  have  sought  me,  for,  as  I  hear,  most  of  the 
men  have  gone  down  to  the  war." 

"I  have  brought  you  some  food,"  the  officer  said;  for 
Stanley  had  observed  that  he  also  carried  a  bundle,  a  larger 
one  than  his  own.  "  Here  is  a  supply  of  rice  that  will  last 
for  some  time,  and  this,  with  your  offerings,  will  suffice  to 
keep  things  going.  My  friend  is  not,  like  you,  bound  by  his 
religion  not  to  take  life ;  and  I  know  that  snakes  are  very 
plentiful  round  here." 

Snakes  had  formed  a  frequent  article  of  his  diet  since  he 
had  been  captured,  and  Stanley  had  lost  the  repugnance  to 
them  that  he  at  first  felt,  so  the  prospect  of  their  forming  the 
staple  of  his  food  was  not  disagreeable  to  him.  It  would  also 
afford  him  some  employment  to  search  for  and  kill  them. 

"  I  shall  be  well  content,"  he  said,  "  with  anything  that  I 
can  get,  and  trust  that  I  shall  be  no  burden  upon  you." 

"  You  will  assuredly  be  none,"  the  priest  replied.  "  Here 
must  be  at  least  thirty  pounds  of  rice,  which  alone  would  keep 
two  men  alive  for  a  month.  As  regards  the  snakes,  though  I 
may  not  kill  them,  I  may  eat  them  when  killed ;  and  indeed 
there  are  few  things  better.  In  truth  I  should  not  be  sorry 
to  have  some  of  the  creatures  out  of  the  way,  for  they  swarm 
round  here  so  thickly  that  I  have  to  pay  great  heed  when  I 
walk  lest  I  step  upon  them." 

"  Have  you  been  troubled  with  robbers  of  late,  father?  " 
Thekyn  asked. 

"They  trouble  me  not  at  all,"  the  priest  said.  "Men 
come  sometimes,  they  may  be  robbers  or  they  may  not.  I 
ask  no  questions.  They  sometimes  bring  fruit  and  other 
offerings,  and  I  know  that  I  need  not  fear  them.  I  have 
nought  to  lose  save  my  life,  and  he  would  be  indeed  an  evil 
man  who  would  dare  to  lift  his  finger  against  a  priest — one 


A    RUINED    TEMPLE  61 

who  harms  not  anyone,  and  is  ready  to  share  what  food  he 
has  with  any  man  who  comes  to  him  hungry." 

"  Well,  father,  I  will  say  good-bye.  I  must  be  back  to 
the  city  before  men  are  about,  as  I  would  not  that  my  absence 
should  be  discovered." 

"Peace  be  with  you,  my  son ;  may  you  come  back  sale 
from  the  wars;  my  prayers  will  be  said  for  you  night  and 
morning.  Be  in  no  uneasiness  as  to  your  friend.  If  any 
should  ask  me  about  my  companion  I  shall  reply  that  he  is 
one  who  has  undertaken  to  rid  me  of  some  of  the  snakes,  who 
dispute  the  possession  of  this  place  with  me." 

Thekyn  motioned  to  Stanley  to  come  outside  the  hut  with 
him,  and  when  he  did  so  handed  to  him  a  small  but  heavy  bag. 

"This  is  lead,"  he  said;  "you  will  need  it  when  you 
start  on  your  journey  down  the  country.  There  are  eight 
pounds  of  it,  and  from  what  you  have  seen  in  the  market  you 
will  know  how  much  food  can  be  got  for  a  small  amount  of 
lead.  I  would  that  I  could  do  more  for  you  and  assist  your 
flight." 

"  You  have  done  much  indeed,  very  much,  and  should  I 
regain  my  friends  I  will  endeavour  to  do  as  much  by  one  of 
your  countrymen  for  your  sake.  I  hope  that  when  this  war 
is  over  I  may  meet  you  again." 

"I  hope  so,"  the  Burman  said  warmly.  "  I  cannot  but 
think  that  you  will  succeed  in  getting  away." 

"  My  son,"  the  old  priest  said  when  Stanley  returned  to 
his  cell,  "  I  am  going  to  my  prayers.  I  always  rise  at  this 
hour  and  pray  till  morning  ;  therefore  you  may  as  well  lay 
yourself  down  on  these  leaves.  There  is  another  cell  like  this 
in  the  opposite  corner  of  the  temple ;  in  the  morning  you  can 
cut  boughs'  and  roof  it  like  this,  and  make  your  bed  there. 
There  is  no  room  for  another  here,  and  it  will  doubtless  be 
more  pleasant  for  you  to  have  a  place  to  yourself,  where  you 


62  ON    THE    IRRAWADDY 

can  go  and  come  as  you  like ;  for  in  the  day  women  come  up 
to  consult  me  and  ask  for  my  prayers ;  but  mind  how  you 
enter  it  for  the  first  time — as  like  as  not  there  will  be  snakes 
sheltering  there. 

Stanley  lay  awake  for  a  time  listening  to  the  monotonous 
voice  of  the  priest  as  he  repeated  his  prayers,  but  his  senses 
soon  wandered,  and  he  slept  soundly  till  daybreak. 

His  first  step  was  to  cut  a  stout  stick,  and  he  then  pro- 
ceeded to  the  other  cell,  which  was  partially  blocked  up  with 
stone  from  the  fallen  roof.  It  took  him  two  hours  to  carry 
this  stuff  out,  and  he  killed  no  less  than  nine  snakes  that  he 
disturbed  in  his  work.  The  prospect  of  sleeping  in  a  place 
so  frequented  was  not  a  pleasant  one,  especially  as  the  cell 
had  no  door  to  it,  and  he  resolved  at  once  to  erect  some  sort 
of  bed-place  where  he  might  be  beyond  their  reach.  For  this 
purpose  he  cut  two  poles,  each  three  or  four  inches  longer 
than  the  cell.  One  end  of  each  he  sharpened  and  drove 
in  between  the  interstices  of  the  stone  at  a  distance  of  some 
two  feet  and  a  half  apart  and  four  feet  from  the  ground,  the 
other  ends  he  hammered  with  a  heavy  stone  against  the  op- 
posite wall  until  they  would  go  down  no  farther.  Then  he 
split  up  some  more  wood,  and  lashed  strips,  almost  touching 
each  other,  underneath  the  two  poles  by  the  aid  of  some  strong 
creepers ;  then  he  filled  up  the  bed-place  between  the  poles 
with  dry  leaves. 

One  end  of  the  bed  was  some  inches  higher  than  the  other. 
This  was  immaterial,  and  he  felt  satisfied  that  even  the  craft- 
iest snake  could  not  reach  him.  As  to  the  roof  he  was  by  no 
means  particular  about  it.  In  this  part  of  Burma  the  rainfall 
is  very  small,  the  inundations  being  the  effect  of  heavy  rains 
in  the  distant  hill-country,  which,  as  they  come  down,  raise 
the  level  of  the  rivers  in  some  cases  as  much  as  eighteen  feet, 
and  overflow  the  low  lying  country.     Before  beginning  to 


A    RUINED    TEMPLE  63 

construct  the  bed  he  had  carried  the  snakes  into  the  Phongee, 
after  first  cutting  off  their  heads,  which,  as  he  knew,  the 
Burmans  never  touch. 

"  This  is  good,  indeed,  my  son,"  the  priest  said.  "  Here 
we  have  our  breakfast  and  dinner.  I  will  boil  some  rice  and 
fry  four  of  them  for  breakfast." 

The  bed  was  but  half  completed  when  he  heard  the  priest 
sound  a  bell.  It  was  doubtless  used  as  a  call  to  prayer. 
However,  Stanley  rightly  conjectured  that  in  this  case  it  was 
a  summons  to  a  meal,  and  was  soon  seated  on  the  ground  by 
the  side  of  the  priest.  Little  was  said  at  breakfast,  which 
Stanley  enjoyed  heartily. 

"  So  my  friend  Thekyn  is  starting  for  the  wars.  What 
think  you  of  it,  my  son,  shall  we  easily  overpower  these  bar- 
barians? We  have  never  met  them  in  war  before,  and 
doubtless  their  methods  of  fighting  are  different  from  ours." 

"  Quite  different.  Their  men  are  trained  as  soldiers,  they 
act  as  one  man,  while  the  Burmese  fight  each  for  himself. 
Then  they  have  cannon  with  them,  which  they  can  drag 
about  quickly  and  use  with  great  effect.  Although  they  are 
few  in  comparison  with  the  armies  going  down  to  attack 
them,  the  latter  will  find  it  very  difficult  work  to  turn  them 
out  of  Rangoon." 

"  Do  you  think  that  they  will  beat  us,  then?  " 

"That  I  cannot  say,  but  I  should  not  be  surprised  if  it 
were  to  prove  so. ' ' 

"The  Burmese  have  never  been  beaten  yet,"  the  priest 
said  ;    "  they  have  been  victorious  over  all  their  enemies." 

"The  Burmese  are  very  brave,"  Stanley  agreed,  "but 
hitherto  they  have  only  fought  against  people  less  warlike 
than  themselves ;  now  they  have  to  deal  with  a  nation  that 
has  made  war  a  study,  and  which  always  keeps  up  a  large 
army  of  men   who  are  trained  to  fight,  and  who  spend  all 


64  ON    THE    IRRAWADDY 

their  time  in  military  exercises.  It  is  not  that  they  are 
stronger  than  the  Burmese,  for  the  Burmese  are  very  strong 
men,  but  only  that  men  who  are  trained  to  act  together  must 
necessarily  possess  a  great  advantage  over  those  who  have  had 
no  such  training,  who  simply  take  up  arms  for  the  occasion, 
and  when  the  trouble  is  over  return  to  their  homes  and  lay 
them  by  until  called  out  to  fight  again.  Besides,  their  weap- 
ons are  better  than  yours ;  and  they  have  many  cannon, 
which  by  practice  they  can  load  and  fire  very  quickly,  and 
each  of  which,  when  the  armies  are  near  each  other,  can  fire 
fifty  or  sixty  bullets  at  once. ' ' 

' '  I  have  heard  a  strange  story  that  the  barbarians  have  a 
ship  without  sails,  with  a  great  chimney  that  pours  out  quan- 
tities of  black  smoke,  and  a  wheel  on  each  side,  and,  as  the 
wheels  move  round,  the  vessel  can  go  straight  up  the  river 
against  the  tide,  even  if  the  wind  is  blowing  strongly  down." 

"  It  is  true,  father,  there  are  many  such  ships,  but  only  two 
or  three  that  have  made  the  long  voyage  across  stormy  seas 
to  India." 

"It  is  wonderful  how  these  men  can  force  fire  to  be  their 
servant,  and  how  it  can  make  the  wheels  of  the  ship  to  move 
round." 

"  That  I  cannot  tell  you,  father.  I  have  never  seen  one  of 
these  vessels,  though  I  have  heard  of  them." 

The  priest  said  no  more,  but  evidently  fell  into  a  profound 
meditation,  and  Stanley,  getting  quietly  up,  returned  to  his 
work.     The  priest  came  in  just  as  he  had  completed  his  bed. 

"That  is  well,"  he  said,  looking  at  it  approvingly.  "  I 
myself,  although  I  know  that  until  my  time  has  come  no 
creature  can  harm  me,  cannot  resist  a  shudder  when  I  hear 
one  rustling  amid  the  leaves  of  my  bed,  for  they  come  in 
although  some  of  my  friends  have  had  a  door  placed  to  ex- 
clude their  entry  at  night.     I  wander  but  little  from  my  cell, 


A    RUINED    TEMPLE  65 

and  always  close  the  door  after  me ;  but  they  enter  sometimes 
when  I  am  meditating  and  forgetful  of  earthly  matters,  and 
the  first  I  know  of  their  presence  is  the  rustling  of  the  leaves 
in  the  bed  at  night.  Were  I  as  strong  in  faith  as  I  should  be, 
I  would  heed  it  not.  I  tell  myself  so,  but  my  fear  is  stronger 
than  my  will,  and  I  am  forced  to  rise,  turn  up  the  leaves  with 
a  stick  until  I  find  them,  and  then  I  open  the  door  and  eject 
them  with  as  much  gentleness  as  may  be." 

"  I  should  get  no  sleep  at  all,"  Stanley  said.  "  I  don't 
think  that  even  a  door  would  make  me  feel  any  safer,  for  I 
might  forget  to  shut  it  sometimes.  To-morrow,  father,  I 
will  wage  war  with  them,  and  see  if  I  cannot  decrease  their 
numbers  considerably. ' ' 

Stanley's  first  task  was  to  clear  the  bushes  away  from  the 
court  of  the  temple,  and  this,  after  several  days'  hard  work, 
he  carried  out,  although  he  soon  saw  that  by  so  doing  he 
would  not  diminish  the  number  of  the  snakes,  for  the  greater 
portion  of  the  area  was  covered  with  blocks  of  fallen  stone 
among  which  the  reptiles  found  an  impenetrable  shelter.  The 
clearance  effected,  however,  was  so  far  useful  that  while  the 
creatures  were  before  altogether  hidden  from  sight  by  the 
bushes,  they  could  now  be  killed  when  they  came  out  to  bask 
in  the  sun  on  the  uncovered  stones,  and  he  could  every  day 
destroy  a  dozen  or  more  without  the  slightest  difficulty.  Ten 
days  after  he  had  finished  the  work  he  heard  the  sound  of 
men's  voices,  and  peeping  out  saw  a  Burmese  officer  with  a 
party  of  eight  armed  men  going  to  the  Phongee's  cell.  It 
was  possible  that  they  might  have  come  on  other  business, 
but  it  was  more  probable  they  had  come  in  search  of  him. 
Some  of  the  women  who  had  come  up  to  the  hermit  had 
seen  him  at  work,  and  might  have  mentioned  on  their  return 
that  the  priest  had  a  man  at  work  clearing  away  the  bushes  ; 
the  matter  might  have  come  to  the  ears  of  some  officer 
5 


66  ON    THE    IRRAWADDY 

anxious  to  distinguish  himself,  and  the  idea  that  this  was  the 
prisoner  for  whom  a  search  was  being  made  occurred  to  him. 

Stanley  shrank  back  into  his  cell,  took  up  the  bundle  of 
clothes  that  served  as  his  pillow,  got  on  to  the  bed,  and 
standing  on  it  was  able  to  get  his  fingers  on  to  the  top  of  the 
wall.  He  hoisted  himself  up,  made  his  way  through  the 
boughs  of  the  roof,  and  dropped  on  to  the  ground  outside. 
Then  he  went  round  by  the  back  of  the  temple,  until  he 
stood  outside  the  priest's  cell  and  could  hear  the  voices  within 
without  difficulty. 

"  Then  you  know  nothing  whatever  of  this  man  ?  " 

"  Nothing  whatever,"  he  replied.  "  As  I  have  told  you, 
he  came  to  me  and  asked  for  shelter  ;  I  gave  him  such  poor 
assistance  as  I  could,  as  I  should  give  it  to  anyone  who  asked 
me.  He  has  been  no  burden  upon  me,  for  he  has  killed 
enough  snakes  for  my  food  and  his  own." 

"  You  know  not  of  what  part  he  is  a  native?  " 

"  Not  at  all;  I  asked  him  no  questions.  It  was  no  busi- 
ness of  mine." 

' '  Could  you  form  any  idea  from  his  speech  ?  ' ' 

"  His  speech  was  ours.  It  seemed  to  me  that  it  was  that 
of  a  native  of  the  lower  provinces." 

' '  Where  is  he  now  ?  ' ' 

"  I  know  not." 

"  You  say  that  he  is  away  at  present." 

"  Not  seeing  him  in  front,  I  thought  he  had  gone  out,  for 
he  comes  and  goes  as  he  pleases.  He  is  not  a  hired  servant, 
but  a  guest.  He  cut  down  the  bushes  here  in  order  that  he 
might  more  easily  kill  the  snakes;  for  which,  indeed,  I  am 
thankful  to  him,  not  only  for  the  food  that  they  afford,  but 
because  they  were  in  such  abundance  and  so  fearless  that  they 
often  came  in  here,  knowing  that  they  had  naught  to  fear 
from  me." 


A    RUINED    TEMPLE  67 

"  Then  you  think  that  he  will  return  soon  ?  " 

"  As  he  told  me  not  of  his  intention  of  going  out  at  all,  I 
cannot  say.      He  is  away  sometimes  for  hours  in  the  forest." 

"Well,  in  any  case,  we  shall  watch  here  until  his  return. 
It  may  be  that  he  is  some  idle  fellow  who  prefers  killing 
snakes  to  honest  work  ;  but  it  may  also  be  that  he  is  the  es- 
caped prisoner  of  whom  we  are  in  search." 

"  I  hear  little  of  what  passes  in  the  town,"  the  priest  said 
quietly;  "news  would  disturb  my  meditations,  and  I  never 
question  those  who  come  here  to  ask  for  my  prayers.  I  have 
heard  of  the  escape  of  no  prisoner. ' ' 

"  It  was  a  young  English  officer  who  got  away.  There 
has  been  a  great  stir  about  it.  Every  house  in  the  town  has 
been  searched,  and  every  guard-boat  on  the  river  has  been 
warned  to  allow  no  boat  to  pass  without  assuring  themselves 
that  he  is  not  on  board." 

"  This  was  a  brown  man  like  ourselves,  clad  only  in  a  pet- 
ticoat of  rough  cloth  like  other  peasants." 

"  He  may  have  dyed  his  skin,"  the  officer  said;  "  at  any 
rate,  we  will  stay  until  he  returns  and  question  him.  Two  of 
my  men  shall  take  their  places  just  inside  the  entrance,  and 
seize  him  as  he  enters.      Has  he  arms?  " 

"None,  save  his  knife  and  the  stick  with  which  he  kills 
the  snakes.  It  may  be  that  he  has  seen  you  coming  hither, 
and  if  he  has  committed  any  crime  he  would  flee,  and  not  re- 
turn here  at  all." 

"If  he  does  not  come  back  before  it  is  the  hour  when  I 
must  return  to  the  town,  I  shall  leave  four  men  to  watch  for 
him,  and  they  will  wait  here,  if  it  is  for  a  week,  until  he 
comes  back  again." 

"  You  can  do  as  you  please,"  the  priest  said,  "  only  I  pray 
you  withdraw  your  men  from  the  neighbourhood  of  this  cell. 
I  would  not  that  my  meditations  were  disturbed  by  their  talk. 


68  ON    THE    IRRAWADDY 

I  have  come  hither  for  peace  and  quietness,  and  to  be  apart 
from  the  world  and  its  distractions." 

"  You  shall  not  be  disturbed,"  the  officer  said  respectfully, 
and  Stanley  heard  a  movement  of  feet  and  then  the  closing  of 
the  door.  Thinking  it  probable  that  the  officer  might  make 
a  search  round  the  temple,  he  at  once  made  off  into  the  wood 
behind  the  temple.  As  soon  as  he  was  well  among  the  trees 
he  exchanged  his  cloth  for  the  disguise  he  had  worn  in  the 
town,  and,  folding  it  up  to  be  used  as  a  blanket  at  night,  he 
went  further  into  the  wood,  sat  down,  and  proceeded  to  think 
what  his  next  step  had  best  be.  It  was  evident  that  he  could 
not  return  to  the  temple  for  the  present,  and  it  was  clear  also 
that  the  search  for  him  was  still  maintained,  and  that  it  would 
not  be  safe  to  attempt  to  descend  the  river.  He  regretted 
that  he  had  been  obliged  to  leave  the  place  without  saying 
good-bye  to  the  priest  and  again  thanking  him  for  the  shelter 
that  he  had  given  him  ;  but  he  was  sure  that  when  he  did  not 
return  the  old  man  would  guess  that  he  had  caught  sight  of 
the  officer  and  his  party  entering  the  temple  and  had  at  once 
fled.  Had  he  not  known  that  the  guard  would  remain  there 
he  would  have  waited  until  they  returned  to  the  town,  and 
would  then  have  gone  in  and  seen  the  priest,  but  as  they 
would  remain  there  for  some  days  he  thought  it  was  as  well  to 
abandon  all  idea  of  returning,  as  the  suspicions  that  he  might 
be  the  man  sought  for  would  be  heightened  by  his  continued 
absence,  and  the  watch  might  be  continued  for  a  long  time 
on  the  chance  of  his  coming  back. 

He  concluded  that  at  any  rate  his  best  course  would  be  to 
endeavour  to  make  his  way  for  a  considerable  distance  down 
the  country,  and  then  to  try  and  get  a  boat.  He  knew  that 
the  country  near  the  river  was  comparatively  thickly  popu- 
lated, and  that  the  distances  between  the  villages  were  not 
great,  so  that  he  would  find  no  great  difficulty  in  purchasing 


A    RUINED    TEMPLE  GO 

provisions.  The  dress  he  had  brought  with  him  was  not  al- 
together unfavourable  for  such  a  purpose,  as  he  could  easily 
pass  as  a  sub-officer,  whose  duty  it  was  to  inquire  whether  the 
villages  had  each  sent  all  their  able-bodied  men  to  the  war  ; 
the  only  drawback  to  it  would  be  that  if  instructions  for  his 
arrest  had  been  sent  down  to  the  villages  along  the  road,  as 
well  as  those  by  the  river,  they  would  have  probably  been 
directed  to  specially  look  for  one  clad  in  such  attire.  How- 
ever, it  would  be  open  to  him  at  any  moment  to  take  to  his 
peasant's  disguise  again. 

He  at  last  determined  to  make  a  start,  and  by  nightfall  had 
traversed  several  miles  through  the  great  forest  stretching 
along  by  the  side  of  the  Panlaung  river.  He  had  asked  many 
questions  of  his  friend  the  officer  as  they  went  up  to  the 
temple  as  to  the  roads.  He  was  told  that  there  was  one  run- 
ning almost  due  south  to  Ramuthayn,  by  which  he  could 
travel  down  to  Rangoon,  by  way  of  Tannoo.  This,  however, 
would  take  him  a  long  distance  from  the  main  river,  and  he 
decided  that  he  would  presently  strike  the  road  that  ran  about 
half-way  between  the  hills  and  the  Irrawaddy.  He  would 
follow  that  for  a  time,  and  would  try  and  strike  the  river 
somewhere  between  Meloun  and  Keow-Uan.  Below  this 
point  there  was  a  network  of  rivers,  and  but  few  villages,  and 
the  country  was  swampy  and  unhealthy.  He  infinitely  pre- 
ferred the  risks  of  the  descent  by  the  river  to  those  by  road, 
and  it  seemed  to  him  that  if  he  could  but  obtain  possession 
of  one  of  the  small  native  fishing  boats  he  could  drop  down 
at  night  unnoticed,  as  the  width  of  the  river  at  Ava  was  up- 
wards of  a  thousand  yards,  and  below  that  town  often  con- 
siderably exceeded  that  breadth. 

When  it  became  too  dark  to  proceed  further  he  sat 
down  at  the  foot  of  a  tree.  He  regretted  that  he  had  no 
means  of  lighting  a  fire,  and   determined   that  at   any  risk  he 


70  ON    THE    IRRAWADDY 

would  obtain  the  means  of  doing  so  at  the  first  village  that  he 
came  to,  for  he  knew  that  there  were  both  tigers  and  leopards 
in  the  jungles ;  he  thought,  however,  that  they  were  not 
likely  to  be  numerous,  so  near  the  capital,  and  the  old  priest 
had  never  alluded  to  them  as  a  source  of  danger,  though  in- 
deed it  had  never  occurred  to  him  to  ask.  In  the  morning 
he  continued  his  way.  He  had  gone  but  a  mile  when  he 
heard  a  sudden  scream  in  the  wood  a  short  distance  to  his 
left.  Feeling  sure  that  it  was  a  human  being  in  great  fear  or 
pain,  he  drew  his  knife  and  ran  at  the  top  of  his  speed  in  the 
direction  of  the  cry,  thinking  that  it  might  be  some  man  or 
woman  attacked  by  the  robbers  of  the  forest. 

Suddenly  he  came  upon  a  small  open  space  some  twenty 
yards  in  diameter.  He  hesitated  when  his  eyes  fell  on  a 
group  in  the  centre.  Two  men  were  lying  on  the  ground, 
and  a  leopard  stood  with  a  paw  on  each  of  them.  They  had 
guns  lying  beside  them,  and  a  fire  was  burning  close  by. 
He  guessed  that  the  animal  had  sprung  from  a  tree,  one  of 
whose  boughs  extended  almost  as  far  as  the  centre  of  the 
opening.  Probably  it  had  killed  one  of  the  men  in  its 
spring,  for  at  the  moment  when  he  saw  the  animal,  it  was 
licking  the  blood  from  the  shoulder  of  the  man  on  whom  its 
right  paw  rested.  The  other  was,  as  far  as  Stanley  could  see, 
unhurt.  His  tread  in  the  light  Burmese  shoes  had  been  al- 
most noiseless,  and  the  leopard,  which  was  keeping  up  a  low 
growling,  and  whose  back  was  towards  him,  had  apparently 
not  noticed  it.  He  hesitated  for  a  moment,  and  then  decided 
to  endeavour  to  save  the  man  who  was  still  alive.  Creeping 
up  stealthily,  he  gave  a  sudden  spring  upon  the  leopard 
and  buried  his  knife  to  the  hilt  in  its  body,  just  behind  the 
shoulder.  With  a  terrible  roar,  it  rolled  over  for  a  moment 
and  then  struggled  to  its  feet.  The  time  had  been  sufficient 
for  Stanley  to  pick  up  and  cock  one  of  the  guns,  and  as  the 


WITH    BRIGANDS  71 

leopard  turned  to  spring  at  him,  he  aimed  between  its  eyes 
and  fired.  Again  the  beast  rolled  over,  and  Stanley  caught 
up  the  other  gun,  thrust  the  muzzle  within  a  foot  of  its  head, 
and  fired.  The  leopard  gave  a  convulsive  quiver  and  lay 
dead. 


CHAPTER  V 


WITH     BRI GANDS 


STANLEY  uttered  an  involuntary  hurrah  as  the  leopard 
expired,  and  at  the  sound  the  Burman,  who  had  been 
lying  motionless,  leapt  to  his  feet.  He  looked  at  the  leopard 
and  then  at  his  rescuer,  and  exclaimed  in  a  tone  of  astonish- 
ment : 

"  You  have  slain  the  beast  alone,  and  with  no  weapon  but 
your  knife  !  " 

"  No,"  Stanley  replied ;  "I  began  the  fight  with  my  knife 
only,  but  caught  up  one  of  those  guns  when  I  wounded  him 
and  fired  as  he  charged  me  ;  then  I  finished  him  with  the 
other. ' ' 

"Comrade,"  the  Burman  said,  "you  have  done  a  great 
deed  with  courage.  I,  who  am  esteemed  no  coward,  would 
never  even  have  thought  of  attacking  that  great  leopard  with 
but  a  knife,  and  that  to  save  the  life  of  a  stranger." 

"  I  saw  the  guns  lying  on  the  ground.  Had  it  not  been 
for  that  I  should  not  have  dared  to  attack  the  leopard,  for 
it  would  have  been  certain  death." 

"  Certain  death,  indeed.  But  tell  me  first  how  you  did  it ; 
it  seems  to  me  well-nigh  a  miracle." 


72  ON    THE    IRRAWADDY 

"  I  was  passing  along  not  far  distant  when  I  heard  your 
cry,"  Stanley  said.  "Thinking  that  it  was  some  person 
in  distress,  I  ran  hither,  and  saw  you  both  lying  with  the 
leopard's  fore-paws  upon  you.  The  beast's  back  was  turned 
to  me,  and,  as  it  was  growling,  it  had  not  heard  my  approach. 
Seeing  the  guns  lying  there,  and  having  no  doubt  that  they 
were  loaded,  I  stole  up,  sprang  suddenly  on  the  leopard,  and 
drove  my  knife  into  it  behind  the  shoulder.  The  blow 
rolled  it  over  and  gave  me  time  to  pick  up  the  gun.  The 
rest  was  easy. ' ' 

The  man  without  a  word  examined  the  body  of  the 
leopard. 

"It  is  as  you  say,"  he  said.  "It  was  well  struck,  and 
would  probably  have  been  fatal,  but  the  animal  would  have 
torn  you  in  pieces  before  he  died,  but  for  the  guns.  Well, 
comrade,  you  have  saved  my  life,  and  I  am  your  servant  so 
long  as  I  live.  I  thought  all  was  over  with  me  ;  the  leopard, 
as  it  sprang,  threw  its  full  weight  on  my  comrade  here.  We 
had  just  risen  to  our  feet,  and  the  blow  struck  me  also  to  the 
ground  ;  I  raised  that  cry  as  I  fell.  I  lay  there  immovable  ; 
I  felt  the  leopard's  paw  between  my  shoulders,  and  heard  its 
angry  growlings,  and  I  held  my  breath,  expecting  every 
moment  to  feel  its  teeth  in  my  neck.  I  had  but  one  hope, 
namely,  that  the  beast  would  carry  off  my  comrade — who,  I 
was  well  assured,  was  dead — to  the  jungle  to  devour  him,  and 
wo'ild  then  come  back  to  fetch  me.  I  managed  to  breathe 
once  very  quietly,  when  I  felt  a  movement  of  the  leopard, 
and  hearing  a  low  sound,  guessed  that  he  was  licking  my 
comrade's  blood ;  but  slightly  as  I  moved,  the  leopard 
noticed  it,  and  stood  straight  up  again  over  me.  I  dared  not 
breathe  again,  but  the  time  had  come  when  I  felt  that  I  must 
do  so,  though  I  was  sure  that  it  would  be  the  signal  for  my 
death.      Then  I  knew  not  what  had  happened.     There  was  £ 


WITH    BRIGANDS  73 

sharp  pain  as  the  leopard's  claws  contracted,  and  then  there 
was  a  loud  roar,  and  its  weight  was  removed  from  me.  Then 
I  heard  it  snarl  as  if  about  to  spring,  then  came  the  sound  of 
a  gun,  a  fall,  and  a  struggle,  and  then  the  sound  of  another 
gun  ;  then  I  heard  your  shout  and  knew  the  beast  was  dead. 
Now,  sir,  what  can  I  do  for  you  ?  Shall  I  first  skin  the 
leopard  ?  ' ' 

"  I  care  not  for  the  skin,"  Stanley  said  ;  "it  would  be  of 
no  use  to  me." 

"  Then,  with  your  permission,  I  will  take  it  off,  and  keep 
it  as  long  as  I  live  as  a  remembrance  of  the  narrowest  escape 
that  I  ever  had." 

' '  Is  your  comrade  dead  ?  ' ' 

"Yes,"  the  man  replied.  "The  leopard  struck  him  be- 
tween the  shoulders  as  you  see,  and  the  force  of  the  blow 
and  the  weight  of  the  spring  must  have  killed  him  instanta- 
neously." 

"  Then  I  will  take  his  sword,  gun,  and  cartridges." 

So  Stanley  undid  the  sword-belt,  and  buckled  it  round  him, 
put  the  bandolier  of  cartridges  over  his  shoulders,  and  took 
up  the  gun  and  reloaded  it  while  the  man  was  at  work  skin- 
ning the  leopard.  This  operation  the  man  performed  with 
great  speed  ;  it  was  evidently  one  that  he  had  done  before. 
As  soon  as  the  beast  was  flayed,  he  rolled  up  the  skin  and 
placed  it  on  his  shoulder. 

' '  You  are  an  officer,  sir  ?  "  he  asked. 

"  No  ;  I  am  a  fugitive." 

While  he  had  been  watching  the  man,  Stanley  had  debated 
over  whether  he  should  confide  in  him,  and  thought  that  after 
the  service  he  had  rendered  him  he  could  do  so  with  safety. 

"I  am  an  Englishman  —  I  was  captured  by  Bandoola  at 
Ramoo,  and  sent  a  prisoner  to  Ava.  I  have  escaped,  and 
want  to   make   my  way  down  to  Rangoon  ;  but  I  heard  that 


74  ON    THE    IRRAWADDY 

orders  had  been  sent  along  the  river  to  arrest  me,  and  I  do 
not  at  present  know  how  to  make  my  way  down." 

"  Come  with  me,"  the  man  said.  "  I  have  friends  in  the 
forest  some  distance  from  here  ;  they  will  receive  you  gladly 
when  I  tell  them  what  you  have  done  for  me,  and  you  will  be 
safe  until  you  choose  to  go.  We  are  outlaws,  but  at  present 
we  are  masters  of  the  forest.  The  government  has  its  hands 
full,  and  there  is  no  fear  of  their  disturbing  us." 

Stanley  thought  over  the  matter  for  a  minute  or  two. 
Doubtless  it  was  a  robber  band  that  he  was  asked  to  join,  but 
the  offer  seemed  to  promise  safety  for  a  time. 

"  I  agree,"  he  said,  "  so  that  you  do  not  ask  me  to  take 
part  in  any  deeds  of  violence. " 

"About  that  you  shall  do  as  you  like,"  the  man  said; 
"  but  I  can  tell  you  that  we  make  good  hauls  sometimes. 
Our  difficulty  is  not  to  capture  booty,  but  to  dispose  of  it. 
Have  you  a  turban,  for  that  helmet  of  yours  is  out  of  place  in 
the  woods  ?  The  rest  of  your  dress  has  nothing  peculiar  about 
it,  and  would  attract  no  attention." 

"I  have  a  turban.  I  have  been  lately  in  the  dress  of  a 
peasant.  The  cloth  I  wore  lies  fifty  yards  away  ;  I  dropped  it 
as  I  ran  ;  it  will  be  useful  to  cover  me  at  night,  if  for  nothing 
else." 

Stanley  exchanged  the  helmet  for  the  turban  that  he  had 
before  worn,  and  fetched  the  cloth.  "Will  you  bury  your 
companion  ?  "  he  said. 

"  It  would  be  useless  ;  he  will  sleep  above  ground  as  well 
as  below,  and  if  we  are  to  reach  my  comrades  to-night  it  is 
time  for  us  to  be  moving." 

They  at  once  set  out.  After  five  hours'  walking  they  came 
upon  the  river  Myitnge,  the  tributary  that  falls  into  the  Irra- 
waddy  at  Ava.  It  was  some  four  hundred  yards  across.  The 
Burman  walked  along  its  banks  for  a  short  distance,  and  then 


WITH    BRIGANDS  75 

pulled  from  a  clump  of  bushes  a  small  boat  that  was  just  capa- 
ble of  carrying  two.  He  put  it  in  the  water  ;  they  took  their 
seats,  and  paddled  across  to  the  other  side,  where  he  carefully 
concealed  it  as  before. 

"  That  is  our  ferry-boat,"  he  said.  "It  is  not  often  used, 
for  our  head-quarters  are  in  the  great  forest  we  shall  presently 
come  to,  but  it  is  as  well,  when  occasionally  parties  are  sent 
out  to  hunt  us,  to  have  the  means  of  crossing  to  the  other  side." 

Another  two  hours'  walking  through  cultivated  fields  brought 
them  to  the  edge  of  the  forest. 

"  Here  you  are  as  safe  as  if  you  were  in  Rangoon,"  the  Bur- 
man  said.  "  In  another  hour  we  shall  reach  my  comrades. 
As  a  rule  we  change  our  head-quarters  frequently.  At  present 
there-  is  no  question  of  our  being  disturbed,  so  we  have  settled 
ourselves  for  a  time. ' ' 

"  Why  were  you  and  your  comrade  on  the  other  side  of  the 
river  ?  ' ' 

"  His  village  lies  five  miles  beyond  that  forest,"  the  man 
said.  "At  ordinary  times  he  dared  not  venture  there,  but 
he  thought  that  at  present  most  of  the  able  men  would  be 
away,  and  so  he  could  pay  a  visit  to  his  friends.  He  asked 
me  to  accompany  him,  and  as  I  had  nothing  better  to  do,  I 
agreed  to  go.  A  convoy  of  traders  too  strong  to  be  attacked 
had  passed  down  from  the  hill  country  the  morning  before  we 
started.  There  was  not  much  probability  that  anyone  would 
come  again  for  a  few  days." 

"  They  bring  down  rubies  from  there,  do  they  not?  " 

"  The  mines  are  the  property  of  the  emperor,"  the  man 
said,  "and  the  gems  are  sent  down  once  every  two  months 
under  a  strong  guard,  but  for  all  that  many  of  the  traders 
bring  rubies  down  from  there, — of  course  secretly.  The  men 
who  work  the  mines  often  conceal  stones  that  they  come  upon, 
«tnd  sell  them  for  a  small  sum  to  the  traders  ;  besides,  some- 


76  ON    THE    IRRAWADDY 

times  the  peasants  pick  them  up  elsewhere,  and  these,  too, 
make  haste  to  sell  them  for  anything  that  they  can  get.  We 
do  not  care  for  them  much,  for  it  is  a  risky  business  going  down 
to  Ava  to  sell  them  ;  and  the  traders  there,  knowing  that  at 
a  word  from  them  we  should  be  arrested  and  most  likely  exe- 
cuted, will  give  us  next  to  nothing  for  them.  We  prefer  sil- 
ver and  lead  for  money,  and  garments,  arms,  and  set  jewels. 
Each  man  takes  his  share  of  what  is  captured,  and  when  we 
have  enough  we  go  home  to  our  villages.  A  pound  of  silver, 
or  two  or  three  pounds  of  lead,  are  generally  quite  enough  to 
buy  the  goodwill  of  the  head  man  of  the  village.  We  give 
out  that  we  have  been  working  on  the  river  or  in  Ava  since 
we  left,  and  everyone  knows  better  than  to  ask  questions." 

In  another  hour  they  reached  the  encampment.  It  was 
now  dusk,  and  some  five-and-twenty  men  were  sitting  round  a 
great  fire.  A  number  of  leafy  arbours  had  been  constructed 
in  a  circle  beyond  them. 

"  What,  returned  so  soon  !  "  one  of  the  men  said  as  Stan- 
ley's guide  came  near  enough  for  the  fire-light  to  fall  on  his 
face  ;  "  but  where  is  Ranji,  and  whom  have  you  brought  here 
— a  new  recruit  ?  " 

"  Not  exactly,  Parnik,  but  one  to  whom  I  have  promised 
shelter  for  a  while.  Ranji  is  dead.  I  should  have  been  dead, 
too,  and  eaten  had  it  not  been  for  my  comrade  here.  Here 
is  the  skin  of  the  beast  who  slew  Ranji,  and  when  I  tell  you 
that  the  leopard  stood  with  one  paw  on  me  you  may  guess 
that  my  escape  was  a  narrow  one." 

"The  brute  was  a  large  one,"  one  of  the  other  men  said, 
as  Meinik,  for  such  was  the  name  of  Stanley's  companion,  un- 
rolled and  held  the  skin  up.  "  I  see  it  had  a  bullet  between 
the  eyes,  and  another  just  behind  the  ear,  and  there  is  a  knife 
cut  behind  the  shoulder.  It  must  have  been  hot  work,  when 
it  came  to  knives,  with  a  beast  of  that  size." 


WITH    BRIGANDS  77 

"  Give  us  some  food  and  cocoa;  we  have  eaten  nothing  to- 
day, and  have  walked  far.  When  we  have  fed  I  will  tell  you 
my  story. ' ' 

The  Burman's  recital  of  the  adventure  with  the  leopard 
excited  great  applause  and  admiration  from  his  comrades. 
"  'Tis  wonderful,"  one  said,  "  not  so  much  that  our  new 
comrade  should  have  killed  the  leopard,  though  that  was  a 
great  feat,  but  that,  armed  only  with  a  knife,  he  should  at- 
tack a  beast  like  this  to  save  the  life  of  a  stranger.  Truly  I 
never  heard  of  such  a  thing.     Has  he  all  his  senses  ?  ' ' 

Meinik  nodded.  He  had  received  permission  from  Stanley 
to  say  who  he  was.  Stanley  had  consented  with  some  re- 
luctance, but  the  man  assured  him  that  he  could  trust  his 
companions  as  well  as  himself,  and  that  it  was  much  better  to 
tell  the  truth,  as  it  would  soon  be  seen  that  his  features  dif- 
fered altogether  from  their  own,  and  that  therefore  he  was 
some  strange  person  in  disguise. 

"He  is  in  his  senses,"  he  said,  "but  he  does  not  see 
things  as  we  do.  He  is  one  of  those  English  barbarians  who 
have  taken  Rangoon,  and  against  whom  our  armies  are  march- 
ing. He  was  captured  at  Ramoo,  and  sent  by  Bandoola  as 
a  prisoner  to  Ava.  He  has  made  his  escape,  and  wall,  in  a 
short  time,  go  down  the  river,  but  at  present  the  search  is  too 
hot  for  him,  so  you  see  that  he  is,  like  ourselves,  a  fugitive." 

"  What  is  his  age  ?  "  one  of  the  men  asked  after  a  silence, 
during  which  they  all  gazed  at  the  new  comer. 

"  He  is  but  a  lad,  being  as  he  tells  me  between  sixteen  and 
seventeen;  but  you  see  his  skin  is  stained,  and  his  face 
marked  so  as  to  give  him  the  appearance  of  age." 

"  If  the  men  of  his  race  are  as  brave  as  he  is,  Meinik,  our 
troops  will  truly  have  harder  work  than  they  think  to  drive 
them  into  the  sea.      Does  he  speak  our  tongue  ?  ' ' 

"  Yes,"  Stanley  answered  for  himself.      "  I  have  been  more 


78  ON    THE    IRRAWADDY 

than  two  years  in  the  province  of  Chittagong,  and  learned  it 
from  one  who  was  in  our  service." 

"And  would  many  of  your  people  risk  their  lives  in  the 
way  you  did  for  a  stranger  ?  ' ' 

"  Certainly.  Many  men  constantly  run  risks  as  great  to 
save  others." 

"One  life  is  all  a  man  has,"  the  Burman  said.  "Why 
should  he  give  it  for  a  stranger  ?  ' ' 

"  I  don't  think  that  we  stop  to  think  of  that,"  Stanley 
said;  "it  seems  to  us  natural  that  if  we  see  another  in  dan- 
ger of  his  life,  we  should  try  to  save  it,  whether  it  is  a  man  or 
woman,  whether  it  be  from  fire  or  from  any  other  fate." 

"  You  must  be  a  strange  people,"  the  Burman  said  gravely, 
"and  I  should  scarce  have  credited  it  had  I  not  heard  that 
you  had  done  it  yourself;  but  it  is  wonderful,  and  you,  too, 
a  lad  who  has  not  yet  come  to  his  full  strength.  We  should 
be  glad  to  have  such  a  man  for  our  comrade,  my  friends. 
Whether  he  be  Burman  or  English  matters  little.  He  has 
risked  his  life  for  one  of  us,  and  he  is  our  brother  as  long  as 
he  likes  to  stay  with  us." 

There  was  a  warm  exclamation  of  assent  round  the  circle, 
and  Stanley  felt  that  he  had  no  cause  for  uneasiness  as  long  as 
he  remained  with  them.  In  the  evening  the  men  sung  many 
songs,  and  at  their  request  Stanley  sang  some  English  ones, 
choosing  some  with  lively  airs.  The  Burmese  were  much 
pleased  and  surprised  at  these,  and  joined  merrily  in  the 
chorus.  Half  a  dozen  of  them  then  set  to  work  with  their 
knives,  cut  down  some  saplings  and  boughs,  and  constructed 
for  Stanley  an  arbour  similar  to  the  others,  and  he  lay  down 
well  satisfied  with  the  results  of  his  adventure,  and  feeling 
that  he  could  remain  with  these  merry  fellows,  criminals 
though  they  might  be,  until  it  would  be  safe  to  make  his  way 
down  the  river. 


WITH    BRIGANDS  79 

In  the  morning  the  men  started  early,  leaving  him  in 
charge  of  the  fire.  They  went  off  in  parties  of  four  or  five  to 
watch  the  various  roads  leading  to  the  capital,  two  or  three  of 
them,  dressed  as  peasants,  going  to  towns  where  travellers 
would  halt,  so  as  to  gain  information  as  to  any  party  coming 
down.  When  they  gathered  again  at  dusk  ,one  party  only 
had  had  any  success.  They  had  met  six  merchants  coming 
down  with  horses  laden  with  spices,  indigo,  and  cotton. 
These  had  offered  no  resistance,  and  they  had  taken  as  much 
as  they  could  carry  and  then  allowed  them  to  go  on  with  the 
rest  of  their  goods.  There  was  a  general  feeling  of  regret 
that  the  party  had  not  been  more  numerous,  and  some  ex- 
pressions of  anger  at  the  spies  on  the  road  by  which  the 
traders  had  come,  for  not  letting  them  know  beforehand  so 
that  they  could  have  placed  their  whole  force  there  and  car- 
ried away  all  the  goods. 

"  These  are  the  things  that  suit  us  best,"  Meinik  said  to 
Stanley.  '•'  You  see,  one  can  go  down  with  a  parcel  of  cin- 
namon or  pepper,  or  a  bag  of  dyes,  or  fifty  pounds  of  cotton 
into  the  town  and  sell  it  in  the  market  at  a  fair  and  proper 
price.  Of  course,  one  dresses  one's  self  as  a  small  cultivator, 
and  there  is  no  suspicion  whatever  that  all  is  not  right.  We 
shall  keep  a  sharp  look-out  for  the  men  as  they  come  back 
again  and  relieve  them  of  the  silver  or  goods  they  may  have 
taken  in  exchange,  that  is,  if  they  come  by  the  same  road  ; 
but  it  is  more  likely  that  after  their  adventure  to-day  they 
will  choose  some  other,  or  take  a  guide  and  travel  by  village 
tracks.  No  doubt  they  think  that  they  have  got  off  easily,  for 
they  have  not  lost  more  than  a  quarter  of  their  goods.  It  is 
war-time  now,  and  there  is  no  fear  of  a  force  being  sent 
against  us,  but  usually  we  do  not  take  so  much  as  a  quarter  of 
the  merchandise.  Were  they  to  lose  everything  they  would 
make  complaints,  and   then  we  should  have  a  force  sent  up 


80  ON    THE    IRRAWADDY 

against  us,  and  be  obliged  to  move  away  for  a  time.  But  as 
it  is,  they  are  so  pleased  with  getting  the  greater  part  of  their 
goods  safe  to  market  that  they  do  not  care  to  make  a  fuss 
about  it,  for  they  might  have  to  pay  the  court  officials  and 
others  more  than  the  value  of  the  goods  lost." 

' '  They  do  not  often  resist,  then  ?  ' ' 

"  Not  often.  If  a  man  loses  his  goods  he  can  gather  more 
again  ;  but  when  his  life  has  gone,  everything  has  gone ;  be- 
sides, as  a  rule,  we  take  care  that  we  are  so  strong  that  they 
see  at  once  that  resistance  would  be  hopeless.  Sometimes 
they  bring  armed  guards  with  them  ;  these  are  men  who  make 
it  their  business  to  convoy  traders  down  when  the  times  are 
troubled.  Sometimes  we  have  fights  with  these,  but,  as  a 
rule,  we  seldom  attack  them  unless  we  are  so  strong  that  they 
do  not  dare  to  oppose  us  ;  still  we  do  have  fights  sometimes, 
for  these  Shan  guards  are  brave  fellows.  Their  convoys  are 
generally  rich  ones,  for  it  would  not  pay  small  traders  to  hire 
men  to  protect  them.  In  times  of  peace  we  seldom  stop  long 
in  one  neighbourhood,  for,  when  it  once  becomes  known  what 
road  we  are  lying  near,  they  come  along  in  parties  too  strong 
to  be  attacked,  and,  as  it  matters  little  to  us  where  we  live, 
we  move  away  perhaps  a  hundred  miles  and  then  settle  on 
another  line  of  traffic.  We  have  not  been  here  long  ;  we 
were  last  down  by  Tannoo  and  did  well  for  a  long  time  there, 
until  at  last  the  governor  raised  all  the  villagers  and  hunted 
the  woods,  and  we  found  that  we  had  to  leave.  I  expect  we 
shall  stay  here  some  time  now.  There  is  no  fear  of  troops 
being  sent  out,  and  we  can  afford  not  to  press  too  hardly  on 
travellers,  for  we  have  done  so  well  of  late  that  we  could 
separate  and  return  to  our  homes,  each  with  a  good  store  of 
booty.  Half  our  number  did  leave  when  we  came  up  from 
the  south,  and  more  of  us  would  go  if  it  were  not  for  this 
order  that  everyone  shall  join  the  army.     It  is  much  pleasanter 


WITH    BRIGANDS  81 

to  live  here  free  to  do  as  we  like  than  to  be  driven  down  like 
a  herd  of  beasts  to  fight.  Besides,  we  have  no  quarrel  with 
your  people ;  it  was  the  officials  at  Aracan  who  began  it,  let 
them  fight  if  they  like. ' ' 

Stanley  remained  a  fortnight  with  the  band.  At  the  end 
of  that  time  they  heard  that  a  party  of  thirty  traders  were 
coming  down  together,  and  that  they  had  with  them  ten 
armed  guards.  This,  they  no  doubt  supposed  was  ample  pro- 
tection, for,  as  the  band  generally  worked  in  such  small 
parties,  it  was  believed  that  there  were  but  a  few  outlaws  in 
the  forest.  All  the  band  went  out,  and  returned  in  the  even- 
ing laden  with  spoil  ;  two  or  three  of  them  were  wounded, 
but  not  severely. 

"  So  you  had  resistance  to-day,  Meinik." 

"  It  lasted  only  for  a  minute,"  the  man  said.  "  As  soon 
as  they  saw  how  strong  we  were,  the  guard  were  glad  enough 
to  put  up  their  swords  and  let  lis  bind  them  hand  and  foot 
while  we  searched  the  merchants.  As  you  see,  we  have  made 
a  good  capture,  though  we  have  not  seized  more  than  a  fifth 
of  what  they  brought  down  with  them,  but  it  will  take  them 
some  time  to  pack  their  bales  again,  for  we  searched  every- 
thing thoroughly,  and  made  all  the  merchants  strip,  and 
searched  their  clothes  and  their  hair. ' ' 

•'  What  did  you  do  that  for  ?  " 

"  Well,  it  was  this  way.  I  said  to  my  comrades  as  we  went 
along  this  morning,  '  The  Englishman  is  going  to  leave  us  in 
a  day  or  two.  I  have  not  forgotten  what  I  owe  him.  and 
should  like  to  make  him  a  present.  I  propose  that  we  search 
all  the  party  thoroughly  to-day.  From  what  we  heard  some 
of  them  come  from  the  ruby  country,  and  are  pretty  sure  to 
have  gems  concealed  about  them  or  in  their  baggage.  I 
propose  that  all  the  stones  we  find  we  will  give  to  our 
friend.'  They  all  agreed  at  once,  for,  as  you  know,  they  all 
6 


82  ON    THE    IRRAWADDY 

like  you,  and  rubies,  as  I  told  you,  are  of  little  use  to  us,  for 
Ave  cannot  dispose  of  them  without  great  risk.  So  they  did 
as  I  proposed,  and  had  good  fortune.  Twelve  out  of  the 
number  had  gems  hidden  about  them,  and  some  of  them  a 
good  lot.  You  need  not  hesitate  to  take  them,  for  you  may 
be  sure  that  they  bought  them  for  next  to  nothing  from  poor 
fellows  who  had  risked  their  lives  to  hide  them.  There  they 
are  ;  we  have  not  looked  at  them,  but  just  emptied  the  parcels 
into  this  bag  as  we  found  them.  Of  course  they  are  all  rough 
stones.  You  must  take  them  as  a  present  from  all  of  us, 
and  as  a  proof  that  a  Burman,  even  if  he  is  but  a  robber,  is 
grateful  for  such  a  service  as  that  you  rendered  him. ' ' 

Stanley  felt  that  he  could  not  refuse  a  gift  so  offered,  even 
though  the  goods  were  stolen.  As  Meinik  said,  the  gems 
were  of  little  use  to  the  robbers,  since  they  were  afraid  to  try 
and  dispose  of  them,  and  their  owners  had  themselves 
broken  the  law  in  having  purchased  them,  and  had  doubtless 
given  sums  bearing  no  proportion  to  their  real  value.  There- 
fore he  thanked  Meinik  very  heartily,  and  also,  after  they  had 
had  their  meal,  the  rest  of  the  band,  who  made  very  light  of 
the  matter. 

The  things  were  useless  to  them,  they  said.  If  it  had  been 
silver  or  even  lead  it  would  have  been  different,  but  to  endeav- 
our to  sell  rubies  they  had  to  risk  their  lives.  The  goods  that 
they  had  got  that  day  would  fetch  them  far  more  money  than 
the  rubies,  and  could  be  sold  without  difficulty,  and  as  soon 
as  the  war  was  over  and  they  could  go  down  to  their  villages, 
the  band  would  break  up.  They  had  enough  silver  and  lead 
hidden  away  to  keep  them  for  years  even  if  they  never  did 
any  work  whatever. 

"  What  do  you  do  with  it  when  you  get  back  ?  " 

"  We  hide  it.  It  would  never  do  to  enter  a  village  with 
ten  or  twelve  pounds'    weight   of  silver,  and   three  or  four 


WITH    BRIGANDS  8-3 

times  as  much  lead,  for  the  head-man  might  take  it  into 
his  head  to  have  us  searched,  so  we  generally  dig  a  hole  at  the 
foot  of  a  tree  in  some  quiet  spot,  and  take,  perhaps,  a  pound 
of  silver  and  two  or  three  of  lead  with  us ;  a  gift  of  half  that 
silver  is  enough  to  convince  the  head-man  that  we  are  honest 
fellows  who  have  been  working  hard  since  we  went  away, 
and  from  time  to  time  we  can  go  to  our  store  and  get  what 
we  want  from  it,  and  can  build  a  house  and  marry,  and  take 
up  a  field  or  two,  and  perhaps  become  head-men  ourselves 
before  very  long. ' ' 

"Well,  I  am  sure  I  wish  you  all  well,"  Stanley  said. 
"  You  have  all  been  very  kind  to  me  since  I  joined  you,  and 
I  shall  be  glad  to  think  of  you  all  as  settled  quietly  down  in 
your  villages,  rather  than  as  remaining  here,  when  some  day 
or  other  you  might  all  be  captured  and  harm  come  to  you.." 

The  next  morning  Stanley  started  with  Meinik,  who  was  a 
native  of  a  small  village  on  the  river  some  forty  miles  below 
Ava,  and  who  had  resolved  to  accompany  him  down  to  Ran- 
goon. 

"  I  shall  be  able  to  get  a  boat  and  some  nets  for  a  pound 
or  two  of  lead.  If  we  are  hailed  I  can  do  the  talking,  and 
can  land  and  buy  provisions,  if  wanted.  I  have  arranged 
with  my  comrades  to  take  my  share  of  the  silver  and  lead  we 
have  stored  up  at  once,  for  it  is  likely  that  they  will  also  have 
gone  to  their  homes  before  I  shall  have  returned,  and  we  have 
changed  everything  into  money  except  what  we  took  yester- 
day." 

Before  starting,  Stanley  was  again  dyed,  and  the  tattoo 
marks  imitated  far  more  carefully  than  before,  three  or  four  of 
the  men  operating  upon  him  at  once.  His  face  was  almost 
entirely  covered  with  these  marks ;  some  liquid  was  applied 
that  extracted  the  colour  from  his  eyebrows  and  left  them 
snow-white,  some  of  his  hair  was  similarly  treated;  and,  look- 


84  ON    THE    IRRAWADDY 

ing  at  himself  in  a  pool  of  water,  Stanley  did  not  in  the 
slightest  degree  recognize  himself,  and  felt  certain  that  no  one 
would  suspect  him  of  being  the  young  English  captive.  Re- 
suming his  peasant's  cloth  he  took  a  hearty  farewell  of  the 
band  and  started  with  Meinik.  The  latter  carried  a  bundle 
slung  on  his  gun  ;  it  contained  some  clothes,  and  did  not  look 
heavy,  but  in  the  centre  were  two  parcels  that  weighed  some 
forty  pounds.  Stanley  carried  a  bundle  with  his  other 
clothes,  and  several  pounds  of  rice.  Two  days'  walking  took 
them  to  Meinik's  village.  Once  out  of  the  forest  they 
travelled  at  night,  and  reached  the  village  just  as  the  people 
were  astir.  The  place  consisted  of  ten  or  twelve  huts,  and 
Meinik  created  quite  an  excitement  among  the  few  people 
who  inhabited  it.  These  consisted  of  two  or  three  old  men, 
some  women  and  children. 

"  Where  have  you  been  for  the  last  year  and  half,  Meinik, 
if  I  may  ask?  " 

"  Working  near  Ava,"  he  said  ;  "  but  as  I  should  have  to 
go  to  war  if  I  had  remained  there,  I  thought  that  I  would 
come  back  and  see  how  you  all  were.  I  have  saved  a  little 
money  and  may  settle  down,  but  whether  here  or  elsewhere 
I  have  not  yet  made  up  my  mind/' 

"You  will  have  to  go  to  the  war,"  one  of  the  old  men 
said.  "  There  is  scarce  a  day  that  one  of  the  war  canoes 
does  not  stop  here  to  see  if  there  are  any  able  bodied 
men.  They  have  taken  eight,  and  they  will  assuredly  take 
you." 

"  Then  I  shall  get  a  boat,"  he  said,  "  and  take  to  fishing. 
The  war  cannot  last  long,  and  I  shall  do  my  best  to  keep  out 
of  the  way  of  the  war-canoes  untii  it  is  over.  If  any  of  you 
have  a  boat  to  sell  I  will  buy  it." 

"  I  will  sell  you  mine,"  the  old  man  said.  "  Both  of  my 
sons  have  been  taken  to  the  war,  and  I  am  too  old  to  work  it 


THEY    FORCED    THE   CANOE    BEHIND    BUSHES    SO    AS   TO   BE 
ENTIRELY    CONCEALED. 


WITH    BRIGANDS  85 

myself.  It  is  a  good  one ;  my  sons  made  it  only  last  year. 
Whom  have  you  with  you  ?  ' ' 

Stanley  had  remained  a  short  distance  off  while  Meinik  was 
talking  to  his  friends. 

"  He  is  an  old  man  I  joined  along  the  road,"  he  said. 
"  He  is  a  skilful  fisherman,  and  he  has  agreed  to  go  with  me 
if  I  can  get  a  boat.      Is  there  an  empty  hut  ?  " 

"  Yes,  six  of  them.  Of  course  when  the  men  were  taken 
they  carried  off  the  wives  and  children,  as  usual,  as  hostages 
for  their  conduct." 

Meinik  nodded  ;  he  felt  no  surprise,  as  it  was  the  custom  in 
Burma  to  hold  the  women  and  children  of  all  the  men  going 
to  the  war  as  guarantees  that  their  husbands  would  not  desert 
or  show  cowardice  in  battle.  In  either  event  their  relatives 
would  be  at  once  put  to  death. 

"My  companion  is  tired,"  he  said.  "We  walked  all 
night,  so  we  will  cook  some  food  and  he  will  sleep." 

They  at  once  took  possession  of  one  of  the  empty  huts, 
which  was  just  as  it  was  left  by  its  proprietor.  One  of  the 
women  brought  a  brand  or  two  from  her  hearth.  An  earthen 
cooking-pot  was  filled  with  water  and  placed  above  it,  and  a 
few  hand fu Is  of  rice  dropped  in.  Two  or  three  snakes  cut  up 
into  small  pieces,  and  some  pepper-pods  were  added  ;  and 
then  Meinik  went  out,  talked  to  his  acquaintances,  and  ar- 
ranged for  the  purchase  of  the  boat.  Stanley  watched  the 
fire. 

In  an  hour  Meinik  returned.  "  The  boat  is  a  good  one," 
he  said,  "  and  the  nets  in  fair  order.  I  have  bought  them 
for  two  pounds  of  lead,  and  have  promised  that  when  the  war 
is  over  and  the  man's  sons  return,  it  is  to  be  free  to  them  to 
buy  it  back  at  the  same  price." 

After  eating  their  meal  they  both  lay  down  and  slept  until 
late  in  the  afternoon,  then  Meinik  bought  an  earthenware  pot 


86  ON    THE    IRRAWADDY 

and  a  flat  slab  of  the  same  material  for  making  a  fire  on,  some 
peppers  and  capsicums,  and  a  little  cinnamon  and  nutmeg,  a 
basket  of  mangoes,  and  some  tobacco.  As  soon  as  it  became 
dusk  they  took  their  places  in  the  boat,  Meinik  carrying  down 
two  or  three  faggots  of  wood.  The  boat  was  a  canoe  hewn 
out  of  a  pine  log  ;  it  would  have  carried  four  people  comfort- 
ably, and  there  was  plenty  of  room  for  them  both  to  lie  down 
at  full  length.  It  was  very  light,  the  wood  having  been  cut 
away  until  it  was  little  thicker  than  cardboard.  This  was  the 
almost  universal  method  of  construction  ;  even  the  war-ca- 
noes that  would  carry  sixty  paddlers  sitting  two  by  two  on  a 
bench,  and  thirty  soldiers,  being  hewn  from  great  single  logs 
of  teak.  The  nets  were  stowed  one  at  each  end.  In  the 
middle  was  the  fire-place,  on  which  the  brands  of  the  fire  had 
already  been  laid.      Near  it  were  the  faggots  and  stores. 

Meinik  and  Stanley  sat  on  the  nets,  each  with  a  paddle ; 
the  former  had  hidden  the  greater  portion  of  his  store  of 
money  in  the  ground  before  entering  the  village.  As  soon 
as  they  had  fairly  started  Stanley  said  : 

"  Had  we  not  better  get  rid  of  the  fire,  Meinik  ;  its  light 
would  draw  attention  to  us." 

"  That  matters  little,"  the  Burman  replied.  "  There  are 
not  likely  to  be  war-canoes  about  at  night,  and  I  expect  that 
most  of  them  will  have  gone  down  the  river.  People  fish 
either  by  night  or  by  day,  and  even  if  a  war-canoe  came 
along  they  would  not  trouble  about  it,  for  of  course  many 
men  too  old  to  go  to  the  war  remain  here  and  go  on  fishing. 
People  cannot  starve  because  there  is  fighting.  The  old  men 
and  women  must  cultivate  the  fields  and  fish,  or  both  they 
and  the  people  of  the  towns  would  starve.  Many  even  of 
the  young  men  do  not  go.  They  keep  away  from  their 
villages  during  the  day  and  work  in  the  fields,  and  the  head- 
men shut  their  eyes,  for  they  know  that  if  the  fields  are  not 


WITH    BRIGANDS  87 

cultivated  the  people  cannot  pay  their  share  of  the  taxes. 
Still  it  is  as  well  to  be  on  the  safe  side.  When  the  fire  has 
burnt  low  we  will  lay  a  cloth  over  the  top  of  the  boat  so  that 
the  glow  of  the  embers  will  not  be  seen." 

They  kept  their  course  near  the  middle  of  the  river,  partly 
because  the  current  there  was  stronger,  partly  because  any 
war-canoes  that  might  be  coming  up  would  keep  close  to  one 
bank  or  the  other.  They  kept  on  their  way  until  there  was  a 
faint  gleam  of  light  in  the  sky,  and  then  paddled  into  the 
shore,  chose  a  spot  where  some  bushes  drooped  down  into  the 
water,  and,  forcing  the  canoe  in  behind  these  so  as  to  be 
entirely  concealed  from  the  sight  of  any  passing  boat,  cooked 
some  food,  and,  having  eaten  their  breakfast,  lay  down  and 
slept  until  evening. 

Night  after  night  the  journey  was  continued  ;  their  supply 
of  food  was  ample  to  last  them,  and  there  was  therefore  no 
occasion  to  stop  at  any  village  to  purchase  more.  The  river 
at  the  point  where  they  started  was  about  two  miles  wide, 
but  at  some  points  it  was  double  that  width,  while  at  others 
it  contracted  to  little  over  a  mile.  Its  level  was  much  lower 
now  than  it  had  been  when  Stanley  ascended  it  two  months 
before.  Sometimes  at  night  they  towed  one  of  their  nets 
behind  them  and  obtained  an  ample  supply  of  fish  for  their 
wants.  Each  night  they  made,  as  Stanley  calculated,  about 
forty  miles,  and  after  ten  days'  travel  they  came  to  the  point 
where  the  great  river  divided,  one  small  arm  running  down 
to  Rangoon,  another  descending  to  Bassein  and  then  falling 
into  the  sea  at  Cape  Negrais,  while  a  large  proportion  of  the 
water  found  its  way  down  by  innumerable  branches  between 
the  Rangoon  and  Bassein  rivers. 

For  the  last  two  or  three  days  they  had  been  obliged  to 
observe  great  caution,  for  below  Prome  there  were  numbers 
of  boats  all  going  down  the  river  laden  with  men  and  stores. 


SJS  ON    THE    IRRAWADDY 

These,  however,  only  travelled  by  day,  and  the  canoe  was 
always  at  that  time  either  floating  in  the  shelter  of  bushes  or 
hauled  up  on  the  bank  at  spots  where  it  could  be  concealed 
from  view  by  thick  growths  of  rushes. 

"  We  shall  never  be  able  to  get  down  to  Rangoon  by 
water,"  said  Meinik ;  "  the  river  will  be  crowded  with  row- 
boats  near  the  town,  and  there  will  be  no  chance  whatever 
of  making  our  way  through  them.  At  the  next  village  we 
come  to  I  will  go  in  and  learn  the  news.  Your  countrymen 
may  have  been  driven  out  by  this  time,  and  in  that  case 
there  will  be  nothing  to  do  but  to  travel  north  on  foot  until 
we  reach  Chittagong. " 

"  I  have  no  fear  that  we  shall  be  driven  out,  Meinik." 

This  conversation  had  occurred  on  the  night  when  they 
had  passed  the  point  of  division  of  the  two  arms  of  the  river. 
They  had  caught  a  larger  supply  of  fish  than  usual ;  and  as 
soon  as  the  boat  was  laid  up,  Meinik  started  along  the  bank 
with  a  number  of  them  for  the  nearest  village.  He  returned 
in  two  hours. 

••  It  is  well  I  landed,"  he  said,  "for  the  point  where  the 
greater  portion  of  our  people  are  gathered  is  Henzawaddy, 
only  some  fifteen  miles  further  on.  You  were  right ;  your 
people  have  not  been  driven  out.  A  large  number  of  our 
troops  are  down  near  Rangoon,  but  in  the  fighting  that  has 
taken  place  we  have  gained  no  advantage.  Your  people 
marched  out  at  the  end  of  May,  carried  a  stockade,  and 
advanced  to  Joazoang  and  attacked  some  villages  defended 
by  stockades  and  carried  them,  after  having  killed  a  hundred 
of  our  men.  Then  a  great  stockade  on  a  hill  near  the  river, 
three  miles  from  Rangoon — which  our  people  thought  could 
not  be  taken,  so  strongly  was  it  protected — was  attacked. 
The  guns  of  your  people  made  a  great  gap  in  a  stockade  a 
mile  in  front  of  it,  two  hundred  men  were  killed,  and  also 


AMONG    FRIENDS  89 

the  commander.  Then  your  people  marched  on  to  the  great 
stockade  at  Kemmendine.  Your  troops,  when  they  got 
there,  saw  how  strong  it  was  and  were  afraid  to  attack  it. 
They  lay  down  all  night  close  to  it,  and  we  thought  we  should 
destroy  them  all  when  they  attacked  in  the  morning ;  but 
their  ships  that  had  come  up  with  them  opened  fire  at  day- 
break. As  the  stockades  were  hidden  from  the  sight  of  those 
on  the  river,  we  had  thought  that  the  ships  could  do  nothing, 
but  they  shot  great  balls  up  into  the  air,  and  they  came  down 
inside  the  stockade,  where  they  burst  with  an  explosion  like 
the  noise  of  a  big  gun,  and  killed  so  many  that  the  troops 
could  not  remain  under  so  terrible  a  fire,  and  went  away, 
leaving  it  to  your  people  to  enter  the  stockade  without  fight- 
ing. ' ' 


CHAPTER   VI 

AMONG     FRI-ENDS 

*TT  certainly  seems  to  me,"  Stanley  said,  when  he  heard  the 
1      Burman's  account  of  the  state  of  things  below,  "that 
it  will  not  be  possible  for  us  to  go  any  further  by  water." 

"  It  would  be  very  dangerous,"  Meinik  said.  "It  is  cer- 
tain that  all  the  men  in  this  part  of  the  country  have  been 
obliged  to  go  with  the  army  ;  and  even  were  we  both  na- 
tives, and  had  no  special  reason  for  avoiding  being  questioned, 
we  should  be  liable  to  be  seized  and  executed  at  once  for 
having  disregarded  the  orders  to  join  the  army.  Assuredly 
we  cannot  pass  down  farther  in  our  boat,  but  must  take  to 
the  land.  I  should  say  that  we  had  best  get  spears  and  shields 
and  join  some  newly-arrived  party." 


90  ON    THE    IRRAWADDY 

"But  you  forget  that  though  my  disguise  as  a  native  is 
good  enough  to  mislead  anyone  passing  us  on  the  road,  or  in 
the  dusk  after  sunset,  I  should  certainly  attract  attention  if 
travelling  with  them  by  day." 

"  I  forgot  that.  I  have  grown  so  accustomed  to  seeing  you 
that  I  forget  that  to  other  people  your  face  would  seem  strange, 
as  it  at  first  did  to  me  in  the  forest.  Indeed  you  look  to  me 
now  like  one  of  ourselves ;  but  were  we  to  join  a  band,  some- 
one would  be  sure  to  ask  questions  concerning  you  ere  long. 
What,  then,  do  you  think  we  had  best  do?  " 

"  From  what  I  heard  of  the  country  from  one  of  your  com- 
rades, who  is  a  native  of  this  province,  it  would  be  impossi- 
ble for  us  after  crossing  the  river  to  make  our  way  down  on 
the  opposite  side,  since  the  whole  country  is  swampy  and  cut 
up  by  branches  of  the  Irrawaddy.  On  this  side  there  are 
few  obstacles  of  that  kind  ;  but  on  the  other  hand  we  shall 
find  the  country  full  of  troops  going  down  towards  Rangoon. 
Your  comrade  told  me  that  the  hills  that  we  saw  to  the  east 
from  the  forest  at  Ava  extended  right  down  into  Tenasserim, 
and  were  very  high,  and  could  not  be  traversed,  for  that  no 
food  could  be  obtained,  and  that  tigers  and  wild  animals  and 
other  beasts  abounded ;  but  he  said  that  the  smaller  hills  that 
we  crossed  on  the  way  to  your  village,  which  he  called  the 
Pegu  Yoma  hills,  some  of  whose  swells  come  down  to  the 
bank,  extend  all  the  way  down  to  the  sea,  between  the  Irra- 
waddy and  the  Sittang  rivers,  and  that  from  them  streams 
flowed  to  one  river  or  the  other.  Therefore,  if  we  could  gain 
that  range  we  should  avoid  the  swamp  country  altogether. 

"A  few  miles  back  we  passed  a  river  coming  in  from  the 
east,  and  if  we  follow  that  up  as  far  as  there  is  water  we  shall 
be  among  the  hills.  He  said  that  there  were  no  mountains  at 
all  there,  but  just  rounded  hills,  with  many  villages  and  much 
cultivated  ground,  so  there  ought  to  be  no  difficulty  in  mak- 


AMONG    FRIENDS  91 

ing  our  way  along.  We  shall  be  able  to  gather  food  in 
the  fields,  or  can  go  into  villages  and  purchase  some,  for  the 
men  will  all  be  away ;  besides,  we  can  get  spears  and  shields, 
and  can  say  that  having  been  away  from  home  on  a  journey, 
when  the  men  were  all  ordered  to  war,  we  returned  too  late  to 
go  with  the  rest  of  the  villagers,  and  are  making  our  way  down 
to  join  them.  Many  others  must  be  doing  the  same,  and  the 
story  will  be  likely  enough.  In  that  way  we  can  get  down 
till  we  are  close  to  the  troops  round  Rangoon,  and  must  then 
take  our  chance  of  getting  through  them." 

"That  seems  better  than  the  other  way,"  Meinik  said. 
"There  is  such  a  river  as  you  speak  of  above  Sarawa;  we 
can  paddle  back  to-night  and  hide  near  the  town,  then  I  can 
go  there  in  the  morning  and  buy  a  couple  of  spears  and 
shields,  and  get  some  more  rice  and  other  things.  We  have 
plenty  of  ammunition  for  our  guns,  which  we  may  want  if  we 
meet  any  wild  beasts." 

"  You  don't  think  that  there  will  be  any  danger  in  your 
going  in  there,  Meinik?  Of  course,  there  is  no  absolute  oc- 
casion for  us  to  have  spears  and  shields,  as  we  have  guns." 

"We  ought  to  have  shields,"  Meinik  replied,  "and  it 
were  better  to  have  spears  too,  and  also  for  us  to  carry  axes — 
everyone  carries  an  axe  in  war-time,  for  we  always  erect  stock- 
ades, and  though  a  very  poor  man  may  only  have  his  knife, 
everyone  who  can  afford  it  takes  an  axe.  Most  people  have 
such  a  thing,  for  it  is  wanted  for  cutting  fire -wood,  for  clear- 
ing the  ground,  for  building  houses,  and  for  many  other 
things,  and  a  Burman  must  be  poor  indeed  who  does  not  own 
one. ' ' 

' '  By  all  means  then  get  them  for  us,  Meinik ;  besides  we 
may  find  them  useful  for  ourselves." 

They  now  lay  down  and  slept  until  evening,  and  then 
started  up  the  river  again,   keeping  close  in  under  shadow 


92  ON    THE    TRRAWADDY 

of  the  bank,  and  two  hours  before  daylight  concealed  the 
canoe  as  usual,  at  a  spot  two  miles  above  Sarawa.  Meinik 
started  at  daybreak  and  returned  three  hours  later  with  two 
axes,  spears,  and  shields.  That  night  they  turned  into  the 
river  running  to  the  east,  and  for  four  nights  paddled  up  it. 
The  country  was  now  assuming  a  different  character,  and  the 
stream  was  running  in  a  valley  with  rising  ground,  from  a 
hundred  to  a  hundred  and  fifty  feet  high,  on  each  side,  and 
was  narrowing  very  fast.  Towards  morning  on  the  fifth  day 
the  river  had  become  a  small  stream  of  but  two  or  three  feet 
deep,  and  they  decided  to  leave  the  boat,  as  it  was  evident 
that  they  would  be  able  to  go  but  a  short  distance  further. 

"We  may  as  well  hide  her  carefully,"  Stanley  said  ;  "it 
is  certainly  not  likely  that  we  shall  want  her  again,  but  there 
is  never  any  saying,  and  at  any  rate  there  is  no  great  trouble 
in  doing  it." 

They  cooked  a  meal  and  then  started  at  once,  so  as  to  do 
a  few  hours'  walking  before  the  sun  became  high.  They  de- 
termined to  keep  on  eastward  until  they  reached  the  highest 
point  of  the  dividing  ridge  between  the  two  main  rivers  and 
then  to  follow  it  southward.  The  country  was  now  well  cul- 
tivated, and  they  had  some  trouble  in  avoiding  the  small  vil- 
lages dotted  thickly  about,  as  the  course  they  were  following 
was  not  the  one  they  would  take  if  making  straight  to  join  the 
army.  They  slept  for  three  or  four  hours  in  the  heat  of  the 
day,  and  then,  pushing  on,  found  themselves  before  sunset  on 
what  seemed  to  them  the  highest  point  of  the  divide.  To  the 
right  they  could  see  the  flat  country  stretching  towards  the 
Irrawaddy,  to  the  left  the  ground  was  more  sharply  undulat- 
ing. Two  miles  away  was  a  stream  of  fair  size,  which  they 
judged  to  be  the  river  that  runs  down  to  Pegu  and  afterwards 
joins  the  Rangoon  river  below  the  town.  Stanley  thought 
that  the  hill  on  which  they  stood  was  some  five  hundred  feet 


AMONG    FRIENDS-  93 

above  the  low  country  they  had  left.  A  great  part  of  the  hills 
was  covered  with  trees,  although  at  the  point  where  they  had 
made  their  way  up,  the  hillside  was  bare. 

They  went  on  until  they  entered  the  forest,  and  there  set 
to  work  to  chop  fire-wood.  Meinik  carried  a  tinder-box,  and 
soon  had  a  fire  blazing,  and  by  its  side  they  piled  a  great 
stock  of  wood. 

"  I  do  not  know  that  there  are  any  leopards  so  far  south  as 
this,"  he  said,  '•  but  at  any  rate  it  will  be  safer  to  keep  a  big 
fire  blazing.  I  never  used  to  think  much  about  leopards,  but 
ever  since  I  had  that  great  beast's  foot  upon  my  back  I  have 
had  a  horror  of  them. ' ' 

The  next  morning  they  continued  their  journey  south,  go- 
ing along  boldly  and  passing  through  several  villages. 

' '  You  are  late  for  the  war, ' '  an  old  man  said  as  they  went 
through  one  of  them. 

"I  know  we  are,"  Meinik  replied,  "but  we  were  away 
with  a  caravan  of  traders  when  the  order  came,  and  so,  in- 
stead of  going  down  the  river,  we  have  had  to  journey  on 
foot ;  but  we  shall  be  there  in  time.  From  what  we  have 
heard  there  has  not  been  much  fighting  yet." 

"  No  ;  the  white  barbarians  are  all  shut  up  in  Rangoon. 
We  have  not  attacked  them  in  earnest,  but  we  shall  soon  do 
so,  and,  moreover,  they  will  soon  be  all  starved,  for  the 
country  has  been  swept  clear  of  all  cattle  for  twenty  miles 
round,  the  villages  deserted,  and  everything  laid  waste  ;  and 
we  hear  that  half  their  number  are  laid  up  with  sickness,  and 
that  a  great  number  have  died.  I  wish  that  I  were  younger 
that  I  too  could  help  to  destroy  the  insolent  foes  who  have 
dared  to  set  foot  on  our  sacred  soil." 

There  was  no  need  for  haste  now,  and  they  travelled  by 
easy  stages  until,  by  the  smoke  rising  from  different  parts  of 
the  forest,  they  knew  that  they  were  approaching   the  spot 


94  ON    THE    IRRAWADDY 

where  the  Burmese  forces  lay  around  Rangoon,  and  indeed 
could  see  the  great  pagoda  rising  above  the  surrounding  coun- 
try. They  had  heard  at  the  last  villages  through  which  they 
had  passed  that  there  had  been  an  attack  made  upon  the  pa- 
goda on  the  ist  of  July.  On  that  day  the  Burmese  in  great 
force  had  moved  down  in  a  line  parallel  to  the  road  between 
the  pagoda  and  the  town,  along  which  a  considerable  number 
of  our  troops  were  encamped.  They  had  advanced  until  with- 
in half  a  mile  of  Rangoon,  then  had  changed  front  and  at- 
tacked the  British  position  near  the  town.  They  occupied  a 
hill  near  our  line,  and  opened  fire  from  there  with  jingals  and 
small  cannon,  but  two  British  guns  firing  grape  soon  silenced 
their  guns,  and  a  Madras  regiment  charged  the  hill  and  re- 
captured it. 

This  entirely  upset  the  plan  of  the  Wongee  in  command  of 
the  Burmese.  The  signal  for  the  whole  of  the  army  to  attack 
was  to  have  been  given  as  soon  as  their  left  had  broken 
through  the  British  line,  and  had  thus  cut  off  all  the  troops  on 
the  road  leading  to  the  pagoda  from  the  town.  Seeing  that 
this  movement  had  failed,  the  general  did  not  give  the  signal 
for  the  general  attack,  but  ordered  the  troops  to  fall  back. 
He  had  been  recalled  in  disgrace  to  Ava,  and  a  senior  officer, 
who  arrived  just  after  the  battle,  assumed  the  command.  He 
at  once  set  to  work  to  make  a  very  strong  stockade  at  Kum- 
meroot,  five  miles  from  the  great  pagoda,  and  also  fortified  a 
point  on  the  river  above  Kemmendine — the  stockade  that  had 
been  captured  by  the  British — and  intended  from  this  point 
to  send  down  fire-rafts  to  destroy  the  British  shipping,  and  at 
the  same  time  made  continuous  attacks  at  night  on  the  British 
lines. 

The  rains  at  this  time  were  falling  incessantly,  and  the 
Burmese  did  not  think  that  the  British  would  be  able  to  move 
out  against  them.     The  position  on  the  river  was  connected 


AMONG    FRIENDS  95 

with  that  at  Kummeroot  by  strong  stockades,  and  the  Bur- 
mese general  was  convinced  that  if  an  attack  was  made  it 
could  be  easily  defeated.  However,  eight  days  after  the  re- 
pulse of  the  Burmese  first  attack,  the  vessels  came  up  the 
river,  while  a  land  column  moved  against  Kummeroot.  The 
position  was  a  strong  one  ;  the  river  was  here  divided  into  two 
branches,  and  on  the  point  of  land  between  these  the  princi- 
pal stockade  was  erected  and  was  well  provided  with  artillery, 
while  on  the  opposite  banks  of  both  rivers  other  stockades 
with  guns  were  erected,  so  that  any  attack  by  water  would  be 
met  by  the  direct  fire  from  the  great  stockade  and  a  cross  fire 
from  those  on  the  banks.  Four  ships  came  up,  and  the  Bur- 
mese guns  opened  upon  them,  but  the  heavy  fire  from  the 
men-of-war  was  not  long  in  silencing  them,  and  then  a  num- 
ber of  boats  full  of  troops  had  landed  and  stormed  the  stock- 
ade, and  driven  out  the  Burmese.  The  land  column  had  been 
unable  to  take  guns  with  them,  owing  to  the  impossibility  of 
dragging  them  along  the  rain-sodden  paths  ;  and  the  Burmese 
chiefs,  confident  in  the  strength  of  their  principal  post,  which 
was  defended  by  three  lines  of  strong  stockades,  one  above 
another,  and  in  their  immensely  superior  force,  treated  with 
absolute  contempt  the  advance  of  the  little  British  column,  of 
which  they  were  informed  as  soon  as  it  started,  by  their  scouts 
thickly  scattered  through  the  woods. 

The  general,  Soomba  Wongee,  was  just  sitting  down  to  din- 
ner when  he  was  told  that  the  column  had  nearly  reached  the 
first  stockade.  He  directed  his  chiefs  to  proceed  to  their 
posts  and  "  drive  the  audacious  strangers  away,"  and  con- 
tinued his  meal  until  the  heavy  and  rapid  musketry  of  the 
assailants  convinced  him  that  the  matter  was  more  serious 
than  he  had  expected.  As  a  rule  the  Burmese  generals  do  not 
take  any  active  part  in  their  battles,  but  Soomba  Wongee  left 
his  tent   and  at  once  went  towards  the  point  attacked.     He 


96  ON    THE    IRRAWADDY 

found  his  troops  already  retreating,  and  that  the  two  outer 
stockades  had  been  carried  by  the  enemy.  He  rallied  his 
men,  and  himself  led  the  way  to  the  attack,  but  the  steady 
and  continuous  fire  of  the  British  rendered  it  impossible  for 
him  to  restore  order,  and  the  Burmese  remained  crowded  to- 
gether in  hopeless  confusion.  However,  he  managed  to  gather 
together  a  body  of  officers  and  troops,  and  with  them  charged 
desperately  upon  the  British  soldiers.  He,  with  several  other 
leaders  of  rank,  was  killed,  and  the  Burmese  were  scattered 
through  the  jungle,  leaving  eight  hundred  dead  behind  them. 

The  fact  that  ten  stockades  provided  with  thirty  pieces  of 
artillery  should  have  been  captured  in  one  day  by  the  British 
had  created  a  deep  impression  among  the  villagers  of  the 
neighbourhood,  from  whom  the  truth  could  not  be  concealed, 
and,  indeed,  all  the  villages  for  many  miles  round  the  scene 
of  action  were  crowded  with  wounded.  They  told  Meinik 
that  the  army  was  for  a  time  profoundly  depressed,  many  had 
deserted,  and  the  fact  that  stockades  they  had  thought  impreg- 
nable were  of  no  avail  whatever  against  the  enemy,  whose 
regular  and  combined  action  was  irresistible  as  against  their 
own  isolated  and  individual  method  of  fighting,  had  shaken 
their  hitherto  profound  belief  in  their  own  superiority  to  any 
people  with  whom  they  might  come  in  contact. 

Since  that  time  no  serious  fighting  had  taken  place.  Occa- 
sional night  attacks  had  been  made,  and  all  efforts  on  the  part 
of  the  invaders  to  obtain  food  by  foraging  parties  had  proved 
unsuccessful.  The  boats  of  the  fleet  had  gone  up  the  Puzen- 
down  river  that  joined  the  Rangoon  river  some  distance  below 
the  town,  and  had  captured  a  large  number  of  boats  that  had 
been  lying  there  waiting  until  Rangoon  was  taken  before  going 
up  the  river  with  their  cargoes  of  rice  and  salt  fish,  but  they 
had  gained  no  other  advantage,  for  although  the  villages  were 
crowded  with  fugitives  from  the  town,  these  were  driven  into 


AMONG    FRIENI>f>  97 

the  jungle  by  the  troops  stationed  th^te  for  the  purpose,  as 
soon  as  the  boats  were  seen  coming  up  the  river.  In  some 
cases,  however,  the  boats  had  arrived  so  suddenly  that  there 
had  not  been  time  to  do  this,  and  the  fugitives  had  been  taken 
to  Rangoon,  where  it  was  said  they  had  been  very  well  treated. 

Great  reinforcements  had  now  come  down  from  the  upper 
provinces.  Two  of  the  king's  brothers  had  arrived  to  take 
command  of  the  army  ;  one  had  established  himself  at  Dona- 
bew,  the  other  at  Pegu.  They  had  brought  with  them  num- 
bers of  astrologers  to  fix  upon  a  propitious  time  for  an  attack ; 
and  the  king's  Invulnerables,  several  thousands  strong,  a 
special  corps,  whom  neither  shot  nor  steel  could  injure,  were 
with  them.  About  the  6th  of  August  a  strong  position,  that 
had  been  taken  up  by  a  force  sent  by  the  prince  at  Pegu,  in 
the  old  Portuguese  fort  of  Syriam,  had  been  attacked,  with 
orders  that  the  channel  of  the  Rangoon  river  should  be 
blocked,  so  that  none  of  the  strangers  should  escape  the  fate 
that  awaited  them.  The  position  was  a  very  strong  one  ;  the 
trees  and  brushwood  round  the  fort  had  been  cleared  away, 
wherever  there  were  gaps  in  the  old  wad  stockades  had  been 
erected,  and  great  beams  suspended  from  the  parapet,  in  order 
that  if  an  attack  was  made  the  ropes  could  be  cut  and  the 
beams  fall  upon  the  heads  of  the  assailants. 

The  British  had,  however,  thrown  a  bridge  across  a  deep 
creek,  pushed  on  against  the  place,  and  carried  it  in  a  few 
minutes,  the  garrison  flying,  as  soon  as  the  assailants  gained 
the  ramparts,  to  a  pagoda  standing  on  a  very  steep  hill,  de- 
fended by  guns,  and  assailable  only  by  a  very  steep  flight  of 
steps.  The  troops,  however,  pressed  up  these  fearlessly,  and 
the  garrison,  discouraged  and  shaken  by  the  reports  of  the 
fugitives  from  the  lower  fort,  had  fled  as  soon  as  the  British 
arrived  at  the  top  of  the  steps.  Notwithstanding  this  and 
other  as  successful  attacks  upon  their  stockades,  the  Burmese 
7 


98  ON    THE    IRRAWADDY 

troops  now  felt  confident  that  with  their  numerous  forces  they 
would  be  victorious  whenever  the  astrologers  decided  that  the 
favourable  moment  had  arrived. 

Meinik  had  ascertained  from  the  villagers  the  name  of  the 
leader,  and  the  locality  to  which  the  corps  belonged  that  was 
posted  nearest  to  Rangoon.  As  soon  as  it  was  dark,  he  and 
Stanley  entered  the  forest.  The  smoke  had  served  as  a  guide 
to  them  as  to  the  position  of  the  different  corps,  and  they 
were  able  to  make  their  way  between  these  without  being  ques- 
tioned.    Presently,  however,  they  came  upon  a  strong  picket. 

"  Where  are  you  going  ?  "   the  officer  in  command  asked. 

"  To  join  the  corps  of  the  Woondock  Snodee,"  Meinik  re- 
plied. "We  were  away  at  Bhanno  when  the  order  came, 
and  the  rest  had  gone  down  the  river  before  we  got  to  Mew, 
so  we  came  on  by  ourselves,  not  wishing  to  fail  in  our  duty." 

"  You  are  just  in  time,"  the  officer  said.  "The  Woon- 
dock is  a  quarter  of  a  mile  away  on  the  left." 

They  moved  off  in  that  direction,  but  soon  left  the  track, 
and,  avoiding  the  camp,  kept  away  until  they  reached  the 
edge  of  the  forest.  Then  they  crept  forward  through  the  jun- 
gle and  brushwood,  pausing  to  listen  from  time  to  time,  and 
three  times  changing  their  course  to  avoid  parties  of  the  Bur- 
mese acting  as  outposts.  On  issuing  from  the  jungle  they 
crawled  forward  for  three  or  four  hundred  yards,  so  as  to  be 
beyond  musket-shot  of  the  outposts,  and  then  remained  quiet 
until  morning  broke.  Then  they  could  perceive  red  coats 
moving  about  in  a  small  village  before  which  a  breastwork 
had  been  thrown  up,  some  four  hundred  yards  away  from 
them,  and,  getting  up  to  their  feet,  ran  towards  it.  Several 
shots  were  fired  at  them  from  the  jungle  behind,  and  some 
soldiers  at  once  appeared  at  the  breastwork.  Supposing  that 
the  two  figures  approaching  were  Burmese  deserters  they  did 
not  fire,   and  Stanley  and  his  companion  were  soon  among 


AMONG    FRIENDS  99 

them.  They  were  soldiers  of  one  of  the  Bengal  regiments, 
and  Stanley,  to  their  surprise,  addressed  them  in  their  own 
language. 

"  I  am  an  Englishman,"  he  said.  "  I  am  one  of  the  pris- 
oners whom  they  took  at  Ramoo,  and  have  escaped  from  their 
hands.     Are  there  any  of  your  officers  in  the  village  ?  " 

"  I  will  take  you  to  them,"  a  native  sub-officer  said,  and 
Stanley  in  a  minute  or  two  entered  a  cottage  in  which  four 
English  officers  were  just  taking  their  early  breakfast  prepara- 
tory to  turning  out  on  duty. 

' '  Whom  have  you  got  here,  jemadar  ?  ' '  one  of  them  asked 
in  Bengalee. 

Stanley  answered  for  himself.  "  I  am  an  Englishman,  sir, 
and  have  just  escaped  from  Ava." 

The  officer  uttered  an  exclamation  of  surprise.  ' '  Well, 
sir,"  the  senior  of  them  said  as  he  held  out  his  hand  to  Stan- 
ley, "I  congratulate  you  on  having  got  away,  whoever  you 
are,  but  I  am  bound  to  say  that  if  it  were  not  for  your  speech 
I  should  not  have  believed  you,  for  I  have  never  seen  anyone 
look  less  like  an  Englishman  than  you  do." 

"  My  name  is  Stanley  Brooke,  sir.  I  am  the  son  of  the 
late  Captain  Brooke  of  the  15th  Native  Regiment." 

"  Then  I  should  know  you,"  one  of  the  other  officers  said, 
"  for  I  knew  your  father,  and  I  remember  seeing  your  name 
in  the  list  of  officers  killed  at  Ramoo,  and  wondered  if  it 
could  be  the  lad  I  knew  five  or  six  years  ago." 

"  I  recollect  you,  Captain  Cooke,"  Stanley  said;  "your 
regiment  was  at  Agra  when  we  were  there." 

"  Right  you  are  ;  and  I  am  heartily  glad  that  the  news  of 
your  death  was  false,"  and  he  shook  hands  cordially  with 
Stanley. 

"  And  who  is  your  companion  ?  "  the  major  asked.  "  Is 
he  an  Englishman  also  ?  " 


100  ON    THE    IRRAWADDV 

"  No,  sir;  he  is  a  native.  He  is  a  most  faithful  fellow. 
He  has  acted  as  my  guide  all  the  way  down  from  the  point  we 
started  from,  twenty  miles  from  Ava.  I  could  never  have  ac- 
complished it  without  his  aid,  for,  although  I  speak  Burmese 
well  enough  to  pass  anywhere,  my  face  is  so  different  in  shape 
from  theirs  that  if  I  were  looked  at  closely  in  the  daylight  I 
should  be  suspected  at  once.  I  could  never  have  got  here 
without  his  aid." 

"  How  was  it  that  he  came  to  help  you,  sir?  "  Major  Pem- 
berton  asked.  "  As  far  as  we  can  see  the  Burmese  hate  us  like 
poison.  Even  when  they  are  wounded  to  death  they  will  take 
a  last  shot  at  any  soldiers  marching  past  them." 

' '  I  happened  to  save  his  life  from  a  leopard, ' '  Stanley  said, 
"  and  truly  he  has  shown  his  gratitude." 

"Jemadar,"  the  major  said,  "take  that  man  away  with 
you,  see  that  he  is  well  treated;  give  him  some  food,  of 
course.  He  will  presently  go  with  this  officer  to  the  gen- 
eral." 

Stanlev  said  a  few  works  in  Burmese  to  Meinik,  telling  him 
that  he  was  to  have  food  and  would  afterwards  go  with  him  to 
the  general,  and  he  then,  at  the  invitation  of  the  officers,  sat 
down  with  them  to  breakfast.  While  eating  it,  Stanley  told 
them  something  of  his  adventures.  After  the  meal  was  over 
the  major  said  : 

'•  You  had  better  go  with  Mr.  Brooke  to  the  general,  Cap- 
tain Cooke.  I  cannot  well  leave  the  regiment.  We  can  let 
you  have  an  outfit,  Mr.  Brooke,  though  we  are  most  of  us  re- 
duced pretty  well  to  our  last  garments.  What  with  the  jungle 
and  what  with  the  damp,  we  have  nearly  all  arrived  at  the 
last  state  of  dilapidation  ;  but  I  am  sure  the  general  would 
like  to  see  you,  in  your  present  disguise." 

"  It  makes  no  difference  to  me,  sir,"  Stanley  said  with  a 
laugh.    "lam  so  accustomed  to  this  black  petticoat  now  that 


AMONG    FRIENDS  101 

I  should  almost  feel  strange  in  anything  else.  I  am  afraid 
this  dye  will  be  a  long  time  before  it  wears  itself  out.  It  is 
nearly  three  weeks  since  I  was  dyed  last,  and  it  has  faded 
very  little  yet." 

"  You  need  not  take  your  arms  anyhow,"  Captain  Cooke 
said.  "You  will  attract  less  attention  going  without  them, 
for  it  will  only  be  supposed  that  you  are  one  of  the  natives 
who  have  been  brought  in  by  the  boats." 

Meinik  was  sitting  on  the  ground  contentedly  outside  the 
cottage,  the  jemadar  standing  beside  him. 

"  Have  you  had  any  food,  Meinik  ?  "   Stanley  asked. 

The  man  nodded.      "  Good  food,"  he  said. 

"That  is  all  right.  Now  come  along  with  us;  you  can 
leave  your  weapons  here — they  won't  be  wanted." 

Meinik  rose  and  followed  Stanley  and  Captain  Cooke. 
There  were  houses  scattered  all  along  the  roadside.  These 
were  now  all  occupied  by  officers  and  troops ;  and  there  were 
so  many  of  them  that  it  had  not  been  necessary  to  place  any 
of  the  men  under  canvas — an  important  consideration  during 
the  almost  continuous  rain  of  the  last  three  months. 

"  Why,  Cooke,  I  did  not  know  that  you  talked  Burmese," 
an  officer  standing  at  one  of  the  doors  remarked,  as  the  officer 
came  along  chatting  with  Stanley. 

"You  don't  know  all  my  accomplishments,  Phillipson," 
the  captain  laughed,  for  the  idea  that  there  existed  such  a 
thing  as  a  Burmese  peasant  who  could  talk  English  had  not 
occurred  to  the  other.  "  I  am  taking  him  to  the  chief  to 
show  off  my  powers,"  and  passed  on,  leaving  the  officer 
looking  after  him  with  a  puzzled  expression  on  his  face. 

On  their  arrival  at  Sir  Archibald  Campbell's  headquarters, 
Captain  Cooke  sent  in  his  name,  and  as  the  general  was  not 
at  the  moment  engaged  he  was  at  once  shown  in,  followed  by 
Stanley,  Meinik  remaining  without. 


102  ON    THE    IRRAWADDY 

"Good  morning,  sir.  I  see  you  have  brought  in  a  de- 
serter," the  general  said. 

"  He  is  not  a  deserter,  sir;  he  is  an  escaped  prisoner  who 
has  made  his  way  down  from  Ava  through  the  enemy's  lines. 
This  is  Mr.  Brooke.  He  was  serving  as  an  officer  with  the 
native  levy  at  Ramoo,  and  was  reported  as  killed.  However, 
he  was  fortunately  only  stunned,  and  being  the  only  officer 
found  alive  was  sent  by  Bandoola  as  a  prisoner  to  Ava.  I 
may  say  that  he  is  a  son  of  the  late  Captain  Brooke,  of  the 
15th  Native  Infantry." 

"  You  are  certainly  wonderfully  disguised,"  the  general 
said;  "and  I  congratulate  you  heartily  on  your  escape.  I 
should  have  passed  you  by  as  a  native  without  a  second 
glance,  though  now  that  I  am  told  that  you  are  an  English- 
man I  can  see  that  you  have  not  the  wide  cheek-bones  and 
flat  face  of  a  Burman.  How  did  you  manage  to  make  your 
way  down  ?  ' ' 

"I  travelled  almost  entirely  by  night,  sir,  and  I  had  with 
me  a  faithful  guide.  He  is  outside.  I  don't  think  that  I 
should  ever  have  got  down  without  him,  though  I  speak  Bur- 
mese well  enough  to  pass — especially  as  the  language  differs 
so  much  in  the  different  districts." 

"  Is  he  a  Burman  ?  " 

"  Yes,  general." 

"  Have  you  arranged  with  him  for  any  particular  sum  for 
his  services  ?     If  so,  it  will  of  course  be  paid." 

"  No,  sir  ;  he  came  down  simply  in  gratitude  for  a  service 
I  rendered  him.  I  do  not  know  whether  he  intends  to  go 
back ;  but  I  hope  that  he  will  remain  here  with  me." 

"  I  have  brought  Mr.  Brooke  here,  sir,"  Captain  Cooke 
said,  "  at  the  request  of  the  major,  thinking  that  you  might 
like  to  ask  him  some  questions  as  to  the  state  of  things  in  the 
interior." 


AMONG    FRIENDS  103 

"  I  should  like  to  have  a  long  talk  with  Mr.  Brooke,"  the 
general  said;  "but  unless  he  has  any  certain  news  of  the 
date  they  intend  to  attack  us  I  will  not  detain  him  now. 
The  first  thing  will  be  for  him  to  get  into  civilized  clothes 
again.  By  the  way,  poor  young  Hitchcock's  effects  are  to  be 
sold  this  morning.  I  should  think  that  they  would  fit  Mr. 
Brooke  very  well.  Let  me  see.  Of  course  your  pay  has  been 
running  on  since  you  were  taken  prisoner,  Mr.  Brooke." 

"  I  am  afraid,  sir,  that  there  is  no  pay  due,"  Stanley  said. 
"  I  happened  to  be  at  Ramoo  at  the  time,  looking  after  some 
goods  of  my  uncle,  who  carries  on  a  considerable  trade  on 
the  coast ;  and  as  I  talk  the  language,  and  there  were  very 
few  who  did  so,  I  volunteered  to  act  as  an  officer  with  the 
native  levy;  I  preferred  to  act  as  a  volunteer  in  order  that  I 
might  be  free  to  leave  at  any  time  if  I  received  an  order  from 
my  uncle  to  join  him  at  Chittagong.  I  could  give  an  order 
on  him,  but  I  do  not  know  where  he  is  to  be  found.  I  have 
with  me  some  uncut  rubies,  though  I  have  no  idea  what  they 
are  worth,  for  I  have  not  even  looked  at  them  yet,  but  they 
should  certainly  be  good  security  for  ^50." 

"  We  can  settle  that  presently,  Mr.  Brooke.  I  will  write 
an  order  on  the  paymaster  for  500  rupees,  and  we  can  talk 
the  matter  over  afterwards.  I  am  afraid  that  you  will  have 
to  pay  rather  high  for  the  clothes,  for  almost  everyone  here 
has  worn  out  his  kit,  and  Mr.  Hitchcock  only  joined  us  a 
fortnight  before  his  death,  so  that  his  are  in  very  good  con- 
dition. Of  course  they  are  all  uniform — he  was  on  my  staff 
— but  that  will  not  matter.  You  could  hardly  be  going  about 
in  civilian  clothes  here.  I  shall  be  very  glad  if  you  will  dine 
with  me  at  six  o'clock  this  evening.  Have  a  talk  with  your 
man  before  that,  and  see  what  he  wants  to  do.  If  he  is  a 
sharp  fellow  he  might  be  very  useful  to  us." 

The  general  wrote  the  order  on  the  paymaster,  and  Captain 


104  ON    THE    IRRAWADDY 

Cooke  took  Stanley  across  to  the  office  and  obtained  the  cash 
for  it.  Making  inquiry,  he  found  that  the  sale  was  to  come 
off  in  a  quarter  of  an  hour. 

"  I  will  do  the  bidding  for  you  if  you  like,  Brooke," 
Captain  Cooke  said.  "  I  dare  say  you  would  rather  not  be 
introduced  generally  in  your  present  rig." 

"  Much  rather  not,  and  I  shall  be  much  obliged  by  your 
doing  it." 

"  All  right.  I  will  make  your  money  go  as  far  as  I  can. 
Of  course  the  poor  fellow  brought  no  full-dress  uniform  with 
him  or  anything  of  that  sort." 

"  You  will  find  me  here  with  my  Burman,"  Stanley  said. 
"  We  will  stroll  round  the  place  for  half  an  hour,  and  then 
come  back  here  again." 

There  was  very  little  to  see  in  the  town.  Meinik  was 
astonished  when  they  mounted  the  river  bank  and  had  a  view 
of  the  ships  lying  at  anchor.  For  a  time  he  was  too  surprised 
to  speak,  never  having  seen  anything  larger  than  the  clumsy 
cargo-boats  which  made  a  voyage  once  a  year  up  the  river. 

"It  is  wonderful  !  "  he  said  at  last.  "  Who  would  have 
thought  of  such  great  ships  ?  If  the  emperor  could  but  see 
them,  I  think  that  he  would  make  peace.  It  is  easy  to  see 
that  you  know  many  things  more  than  we  do.  Could  one  go 
on  board  of  them  ?  ' ' 

"  Not  as  I  am  at  present,  Meinik  ;  but  when  I  get  English 
clothes  on  again  and  rid  myself  from  some  of  this  stain,  I 
have  no  doubt  I  shall  be  able  to  take  you  on  board  one  of  the 
ships-of-war.  And  now,  will  you  let  me  know  what  you  are 
thinking  of  doing?  I  told  the  general  what  service  you  had 
rendered  me,  and  he  asked  me  what  you  were  going  to  do.  I 
told  him  that  as  yet  I  did  not  know  whether  you  were  going 
to  stay  here  or  go  back  again." 

"  Are  you  going  to  stay  here  ?  " 


AMONG   FRIENDS  105 

"  I  think  so — at  any  rate  for  a  time.  I  do  not  know  where 
the  uncle  I  have  told  you  about  is  at  present.  At  any  rate, 
while  this  war  is  going  on  he  can  do  very  little  trade,  and  can 
manage  very  well  without  me. ' ' 

"  As  long  as  you  stay  here  I  shall  stay,"  the  Burman  said. 
"  If  I  went  back  I  should  have  to  fight  against  your  people, 
and  I  don't  want  to  do  that.  I  have  no  quarrel  with  them,  and 
from  what  I  see  I  am  not  so  sure  as  I  was  that  we  shall  drive 
you  into  the  sea.  You  have  beaten  us  whenever  you  have 
fought,  and  I  would  rather  stay  with  you  than  be  obliged  to 
fight  against  you.  Not  many  men  want  to  fight.  We  heard 
that  in  the  villages,  and  that  those  who  have  not  got  wives  and 
children  held  as  hostages  for  them,  get  away  from  the  army 
and  hide  in  the  woods.  You  will  be  a  great  man  now,  and  if 
you  will  let  me  stop,  I  will  be  your  servant." 

"  I  will  gladly  keep  you  with  me,  Meinik,  if  you  are  will- 
ing to  stay,  and  I  am  sure  that  you  will  be  better  off  here 
than  out  in  the  woods,  and  a  good  deal  safer.  At  any  rate 
stay  until  after  your  people  make  their  next  attack.  You  will 
see  then  how  useless  it  is  for  them  to  fight  against  us.  When 
we  can  attack  them  in  their  stockades,  although  they  are  ten 
to  one  against  us,  and  drive  them  out  after  a  quarter  of  an 
hour's  fighting,  you  may  be  sure  that  in  the  open  ground  with 
out  defences  they  will  have  no  chance  whatever.  I  hope  they 
will  soon  get  tired  of  fighting,  and  that  the  court  will  make 
peace.  We  did  not  want  to  fight  with  them — it  was  they  who 
attacked  us,  but  now  that  we  have  had  all  the  expence  of  com- 
ing here  we  shall  go  on  fighting  till  the  emperor  agrees  to 
make  peace;  but  I  don't  think  that  we  shall  ever  go  out  of 
Rangoon  again,  and  believe  that  we  shall  also  hold  the  ports 
in  Tenasserim  that  we  have  captured." 

"  The  emperor  will  never  agree  to  that,"  Meinik  said,  shak- 
ing his  head  positively. 


106  ON    THE   IRRAWADDY 

"  Then  if  he  does  not  he  will  see  that  we  shall  go  up  the 
river  to  Ava ;  and  in  the  end  if  he  goes  on  fighting  we  shall 
capture  the  whole  country,  and  rule  over  it  just  as  we  have 
done  the  greater  part  of  India." 

"  I  think  that  would  be  good  for  us,"  the  man  said  philo- 
sophically. ' '  It  would  not  matter  much  to  us  to  whom  we 
paid  our  taxes — and  you  would  not  tax  us  more  heavily  than 
we  are  now — for  as  we  came  down  you  saw  many  villages  de- 
serted and  the  land  uncultivated  because  the  people  could  not 
pay  the  heavy  exactions.  It  is  not  the  king — he  does  not  get 
much  of  it,  but  he  gives  a  province  or  a  district  or  a  dozen 
villages  to  someone  at  court,  and  says,  you  must  pay  me  so 
much,  and  all  that  you  can  get  out  of  it  besides  is  for  yourself; 
so  they  heap  on  the  taxes,  and  the  people  are  always  in  great 
poverty,  and  when  they  find  that  they  cannot  pay  what  is  de- 
manded and  live,  then  they  all  go  away  to  some  other  place 
where  the  lord  is  not  so  harsh." 

"Iara  sure  that  it  would  be  a  good  thing  for  them,  Meinik. 
The  people  of  India  are  a  great  deal  better  off  under  us  than 
they  were  under  their  native  rulers.  There  is  a  fixed  tax,  and 
no  one  is  allowed  to  charge  more  or  to  oppress  the  people  in 
any  way.  But  now  we  must  be  going.  I  said  that  I  would 
be  back  at  the  place  we  started  from  in  half  an  hour. ' ' 


ON    THE    STAFF  107 

CHAPTER   VII 

ON    THE    STAFF 

CAPTAIN  COOKE  had  done  his  best  previous  to  the  be- 
ginning of  the  auction  to  disarm  opposition  by  going 
about  among  the  officers  who  dropped  in  with  the  intention 
of  bidding,  telling  them  something  of  Stanley's  capture,  ad- 
ventures, and  escape,  and  saying  that  the  general  had  himself 
advised  him  to  obtain  an  outfit  by  buying  a  considerable  por- 
tion of  the  young  officer's  kit. 

' '  I  have  no  doubt  that  he  will  put  him  on  his  staff, ' '  he 
said.  "  From  his  knowledge  of  the  country  and  the  fact  that 
he  speaks  the  language  well  he  would  be  very  useful ;  and  as 
he  has  gone  through  all  this  from  serving  as  a  volunteer  with- 
out pay,  I  hope  you  fellows  won't  run  up  the  prices  except  for 
things  that  you  really  want." 

His  story  had  the  desired  effect ;  and  when  Captain  Cooke 
met  Stanley,  he  was  able  to  tell  him  that  he  had  bought  for 
him  the  greater  portion  of  the  kit,  including  everything  that 
was  absolutely  necessary. 

"Are  there  any  plain  clothes  ?  "  Stanley  asked,  after  thank- 
ing him  warmly  for  the  trouble  he  had  taken. 

"  No.  Of  course  he  left  everything  of  that  sort  at  Calcutta. 
No  one  in  his  senses  would  think  of  bringing  mufti  out  with 
him,  especially  to  such  a  country  as  this." 

"Then  I  shall  have  to  go  in  uniform  to  the  general's," 
Stanley  said,  in  a  tone  of  consternation.  "  It  seems  to  me 
that  it  would  be  an  awfully  impudent  thing  to  go  in  staff  uni- 
form to  dine  with  the  general  when  I  have  no  right  whatever 
to  wear  it." 

"Well,  as   the  general   advised    you   himself  to  buy  the 


108  ON    THE    IRRAWADDY 

things,  he  cannot  blame  you  for  wearing  them,  and  I  have  not 
the  least  doubt  that  he  is  going  to  offer  you  a  staff  appoint- 
ment of  some  sort. ' ' 

"  I  should  like  it  very  much  as  long  as  the  war  lasted, 
Captain  Cooke,  but  I  don't  think  that  I  should  care  about 
staying  in  the  army  permanently.  You  see  my  uncle  is  work- 
ing up  a  very  good  business ;  he  has  been  at  it  now  seven  or 
eight  years,  and  he  was  saying  the  last  time  that  I  was  with 
him,  that  as  soon  as  these  troubles  were  over,  and  trade  began 
again,  he  should  give  me  a  fourth  share  of  it,  and  make  it  a 
third  share  when  I  got  to  twenty-one." 

"Then  you  would  be  a  great  fool  to  give  it  up,"  Captain 
Cooke  said  heartily.  "  A  man  who  has  got  a  good  business 
out  here  would  have  an  income  as  much  as  all  the  officers  of  a 
regiment  together.  He  is  his  own  master,  and  can  retire 
when  he  likes,  and  enjoy  his  money  in  England.  Still,  as 
trade  is  at  a  standstill  at  present,  I  think  that  it  would  be  wise 
of  you  to  accept  any  offer  that  the  general  might  make  to  you. 
It  might  even  be  to  your  advantage  afterwards.  To  have 
served  on  Campbell's  staff  will  be  an  introduction  to  every 
officers'  mess  in  the  country,  and  you  may  be  sure  that  not 
only  shall  we  hold  Rangoon  in  future,  but  there  will  be  a 
good  many  more  British  stations  between  Assam  and  here 
than  there  now  are,  and  it  would  be  a  pull  for  you  even  in 
the  way  of  trade  to  stand  on  a  good  footing  everywhere. ' ' 

"I  quite  see  that,"  Stanley  agreed,  "and  if  the  general 
is  good  enough  to  offer  me  an  appointment  I  shall  certainly 
take  it." 

"  You  have  almost  a  right  to  one,  Brooke.  In  the  Penin- 
sula lots  of  men  got  their  commissions  by  serving  for  a  time 
as  volunteers  ;  and  having  been  wounded  at  Ramoo,  and 
being  one  of  the  few  survivors  of  that  fight,  and  having  gone 
through  a  captivity  at  no  small  risk  of  being  put  to  death  the 


ON    THE    STAFF  109 

first  time  that  the  king  was  out  of  temper,  your  claim  is  a  very 
strong  one  indeed ;  besides,  there  is  hardly  a  man  here  who 
speaks  Burmese,  and  your  services  will  be  very  valuable.  Here 
are  fifty  rupees,"  he  went  on,  handing  the  money  to  Stanley. 
"  It  is  not  much  change  out  of  five  hundred,  but  I  can  assure 
you  that  you  have  got  the  things  at  a  bargain,  for  you  would 
have  had  to  pay  more  than  that  for  them  in  England,  and  I 
fancy  most  of  the  things  are  in  very  good  condition,  for 
Hitchcock  only  came  out  about  four  months  ago.  Of  course 
the  clothes  are  nothing  like  new,  but  at  any  rate  they  are  in  a 
very  much  better  state  than  those  of  anyone  who  came  here 
three  months  ago.  I  have  ordered  them  all  to  be  sent  to  my 
quarters,  where,  of  course,  you  will  take  up  your  abode  till 
something  is  settled  about  you,  which  will  probably  be  this 
evening.  In  that  case  you  will  have  quarters  allotted  to  you 
to-morrow." 

"Thank  you  very  much.  I  shall  devote  the  best  portion 
of  this  afternoon  to  trying  to  get  rid  of  as  much  of  this  stain 
as  I  can,  at  least  off  my  face  and  hands ;  the  rest  does  not 
matter  one  way  or  the  other,  and  will  wear  off  gradually,  but 
I  should  like  to  get  my  face  decent. ' ' 

"  Well,  you  are  rather  an  object,  Stanley,"  he  said.  "It 
would  not  matter  so  much  about  the  colour,  but  all  those 
tattoo  marks  are,  to  say  the  least  of  it,  singular.  Of  course 
they  don't  look  so  rum  now  in  that  native  undress,  but  when 
you  get  your  uniform  on  the  effect  will  be  startling.  We  will 
have  a  chat  with  the  doctor  ;  he  may  have  something  in  his 
medicine  chest  that  will  at  least  soften  them  down  a  bit.  Of 
course  if  they  were  real  tattoo  marks  there  would  be  nothing 
for  it,  but  as-  they  are  only  dye  or  paint  of  some  sort,  they 
must  wear  themselves  out  before  very  long." 

"  I  will  try  anything  that  he  will  give  me.  I  don't  care  if 
it  takes  the  skin  off." 


110  ON    THE    IRRAWADDY 

On  returning  to  the  quarters  of  Captain  Cooke,  Stanley  was 
introduced  to  the  other  officers  of  the  regiment,  among  them 
the  doctor,  to  whom  he  at  once  applied  for  some  means  of 
taking  off  the  dye. 

"  Have  you  asked  the  man  you  brought  down  with  you  ?  " 
the  surgeon  said.  "  You  say  that  he  put  it  on,  and  he  may 
know  of  something  that  will  take  it  off  again." 

"  No  ;  1  have  asked  him,  and  he  knows  of  nothing.  He 
used  some  of  the  dye-stuffs  of  the  country,  but  he  said  he 
never  heard  of  anyone  wanting  to  take  the  dye  out  of  things 
that  had  been  coloured." 

"  If  it  were  only  cotton  or  cloth,"  the  doctor  said,  "  I  have 
no  doubt  a  very  strong  solution  of  soda  would  take  out  the 
greater  portion  of  the  dye,  but  the  human  skin  won't  stand 
boiling  water.  However,  I  should  say  that  if  you  have  water 
as  hot  as  you  can  bear  it,  with  plenty  of  soda  and  soap,  it  will 
do  something  for  you.  No  doubt  if  you  were  to  take  a  hand- 
ful or  two  of  very  fine  sand,  it  would  help  a  great  deal,  but  if 
you  use  that  I  should  not  put  any  soda  with  the  water,  or  you 
will  practically  take  all  the  skin  off,  and  leave  your  face  like  a 
raw  beef-steak,  which  will  be  worse  than  the  stain,  and  indeed 
in  so  hot  a  sun  as  we  have,  might  be  dangerous,  and  bring  on 
erysipelas.  So  you  must  be  very  careful ;  and  it  will  be  far 
better  for  you  to  put  up  with  being  somewhat  singular  in  your 
appearance  for  a  bit,  than  to  lay  yourself  up  by  taking  any 
strong  measures  to  get  rid  of  it." 

After  an  hour  spent  in  vigorous  washing,  and  aided  by 
several  rubs  with  very  fine  sand,  Stanley  succeeded,  to  his 
great  satisfaction,  in  almost  getting  rid  of  the  tattoo  marks  on 
his  face. 

The  general  dye  had  faded  a  little,  though  not  much,  but 
that  with  which  the  marks  had  been  made  was  evidently  of  a 
less  stable  character,  and  yielded  to  soap  and  friction.     Before 


ON    THE    STAFF  111 

he  had  concluded  the  work  two  trunks  arrived,  and  finding 
that  his  face  was  now  beginning  to  smart  a  good  deal,  he 
abstained  for  the  time  from  further  efforts,  and  turned  to 
inspect  his  purchases  with  a  good  deal  of  interest.  The  uni- 
forms consisted  of  two  undress  suits,  one  with  trousers,  the 
other  with  breeches  and  high  boots  for  riding.  There  was  also 
a  suit  of  mess  jacket,  waistcoat,  and  trousers,  three  suits  of 
white  drill,  half  a  dozen  white  shirts  for  mess,  and  as  many  of 
thin  flannel,  and  a  good  stock  of  general  underclothes,  a  pair  of 
thick  boots,  and  a  light  pair  for  mess.  There  was  also  the 
sword,  belt,  and  other  equipments;  in  fact,  all  the  necessaries 
he  would  require  for  a  campaign.  Before  beginning  to  dress, 
he  began  to  free  his  hair  from  the  wax  with  which  it  had  been 
plastered  up.  He  had  obtained  from  the  doctor  some  spirits 
of  turpentine,  and  with  the  aid  of  this  he  found  the  task  a 
less  difficult  one  than  he  had  expected,  and  the  regimental 
barber  being  sent  for  by  Captain  Cooke,  his  hair  was  soon 
shortened  to  the  ordinary  length. 

"  You  will  do  very  well  now,"  the  major  said  as  he  went 
down  into  the  general  room.  "  You  have  certainly  succeeded 
a  great  deal  better  than  I  thought  you  would.  Of  course  you 
look  very  brown,  but  there  are  a  good  many  others  nearly  as 
dark  as  you  are  ;  for  between  the  rain-showers  the  sun  has 
tremendous  power,  and  some  of  the  men's  faces  are  almost 
skinned,  while  others  have  browned  wonderfully.  I  am  sure 
that  many  of  them  are  quite  as  dark  as  yours.  So  you  will 
pass  muster  very  well." 

Before  beginning  to  wash  and  change,  Stanley  had  given 
Meinik  the  clothes  he  had  carried  down  with  him,  and  when 
he  went  out  to  take  a  short  look  round  before  tiffin,  for  which 
the  servants  were  already  laying  the  cloth,  he  found  the  man, 
now  looking  like  a  respectable  Burman,  standing  near  the 
door.     He  walked  slowly  past   him,  but  the  man  did  not 


112  ON    THE    IRRAWADDY 

move,  not  recognizing  him  in  the  slightest  degree  in  his  pres- 
ent attire.     Then  Stanley  turned  and  faced  him. 

"  So  you  don't  know  me,  Meinik."  The  Burman  gave  a 
start  of  surprise. 

"  Certainly  I  did  not  know  you,  my  lord,"  he  said.  "  Who 
could  have  known  you  ?  Before  you  were  a  poor  Burmese 
peasant,  now  you  are  an  English  lord." 

"Not  a  lord  at  all,  Meinik.  I  am  simply  an  English 
officer,  and  dressed  very  much  the  same  as  I  was  when  your 
people  knocked  me  on  the  head  at  Ramoo." 

"  I  know  your  voice,"  Meinik  said  ;  "  but  even  now  that 
I  know  it  is  you,  I  hardly  recognize  your  face.  Of  course  the 
tattoo  marks  made  a  great  difference,  but  that  is  not  all." 

"  I  think  it  is  the  hair  that  has  made  most  difference, 
Meinik.  You  see  it  was  all  pulled  off  the  brow  and  neck 
before,  and  it  will  be  some  time  before  it  will  grow  natu- 
rally again.  I  had  great  trouble  to  get  it  to  lie  down,  even 
Avhen  it  was  wet,  and  it  will  certainly  have  a  tendency  to  stick 
up  for  a  long  time.  The  dress  has  made  a  good  deal  of  alter- 
ation in  you  too." 

"They  are  very  good  clothes,"  Meinik  said.  "I  have 
never  had  such  good  ones  on  before.  I  have  had  money 
enough  to  buy  them,  but  people  would  have  asked  where  I  got 
it  from,  and  it  never  does  to  make  a  show  of  being  better  off 
than  one's  neighbour.  A  man  is  sure  to  be  fleeced  if  he  does. 
What  can  I  do  for  my  lord  ?  " 

"  Nothing  at  present,  Meinik.  I  am  going  to  lunch  with 
the  officers  here,  and  to  dine  with  the  general,  and  sleep  here. 
To-morrow  I  daresay  I  shall  move  into  quarters  of  my  own. 
You  had  better  buy  what  you  want  for  to-day  in  the  market. 
I  don't  know  whether  it  is  well  supplied,  but  as  we  saw  some 
of  your  people  about  there  must  be  food  to  be  obtained." 

"  They  gave  me  plenty  to  eat  when  I  came  in,"  he  said, 


ON    THE    STAFF  113 

"  but  I  will  buy  something  for  supper.  No,  I  do  not  want 
money,  I  have  plenty  of  lead  left." 

"  You  had  better  take  a  couple  of  rupees  anyhow.  There 
are  sure  to  be  some  traders  from  India  who  have  opened 
shops  here,  and  they  won't  care  to  take  lead  in  payment. 
You  must  get  some  fresh  muslin  for  your  turban,  and  you  had 
better  close  it  up  at  the  top  this  time ;  it  will  go  better  with 
your  clothes." 

Meinik  grinned.  "  I  shall  look  quite  like  a  person  of  im- 
portance. I  shall  be  taken  for  at  least  the  head-man  of  a 
large  village." 

He  took  the  two  rupees  and  walked  off  towards  the  town, 
while  Stanley  went  in  to  luncheon.  There  were  a  good  many 
remarks  as  to  his  altered  appearance. 

"  Do  you  know,  Brooke,"  one  of  the  young  lieutenants 
said,  "  I  did  not  feel  at  all  sure  that  Cooke  was  not  hum- 
bugging us  when  he  introduced  you  to  us,  and  that  you  were 
not  really  a  Burman  who  had  travelled  and  had  somehow 
learned  to  speak  English  extraordinarily  well." 

"  Clothes  and  soap  and  water  make  a  wonderful  differ- 
ence," Stanley  laughed,  "  but  I  shall  be  a  good  many  shades 
lighter  when  the  rest  of  the  dye  wears  off.  At  any  rate,  I 
can  go  about  now  without  anyone  staring  at  me." 

After  tiffin,  Stanley  had  to  tell  his  story  again  at  a  very 
much  greater  length  than  before. 

"You  certainly  have  gone  through  some  queer  advent- 
ures," the  major  said  when  he  had  finished  his  relation; 
"and  there  is  no  doubt  that  you  have  had  wonderful  luck. 
In  the  first  place,  if  that  bullet  had  gone  half  an  inch  lower 
you  would  not  have  been  one  of  the  four  white  survivors  of 
that  ugly  business  at  Ramoo  ;  then  you  were  lucky  that  they 
did  not  chop  off  your  head,  either  when  they  first  took  you 
or  when  they  got  you  to  A*ro  Then  again  it  was  lucky  that 
8 


114  ON    THE    IRRAWADDY 

Bandoola  sent  a  special  message  that  he  wanted  you  kept  as 
an  interpreter  for  himself,  and  that  the  official  in  charge  of 
you  turned  out  a  decent  fellow  and  aided  you  to  make  your 
escape.  As  to  your  obtaining  the  services  of  the  man  you 
brought  down  with  you,  I  do  not  regard  that  as  a  question  of 
luck.  You  saved  the  man's  life  by  an  act  of  the  greatest 
bravery,  one  that  not  one  man  in  ten  would  perform  or  try  to 
perform,  for  the  life  of  a  total  stranger.  I  hope  that  I  should 
have  made  the  effort  had  I  been  in  your  place,  but  I  say 
frankly  that  I  am  by  no  means  sure  that  I  should  have  done 
so.  The  betting  was  a  good  twenty  to  one  against  its  being 
done  successfully.  If  the  brute  had  heard  your  footstep  it 
would  have  been  certain  death,  and  even  when  you  reached 
him  the  chances  were  strongly  against  your  being  able  to 
strike  a  blow  at  the  animal  that  would  for  a  moment  disable 
him  and  so  give  you  time  to  snatch  up  one  of  the  guns,  which 
might  not,  after  all,  have  been  loaded.  It  was  a  wonderfully 
gallant  action,  lad.  You  did  not  tell  us  very  much  about  it 
yourself;  but  while  you  were  getting  the  dye  off  I  got  hold  of 
one  of  the  traders  here,  who  happened  to  be  passing,  and  who 
understood  their  language,  and  with  his  assistance  I  ques- 
tioned your  fellow  and  got  all  the  particulars  from  him.  I 
say  again  it  was  as  plucky  a  thing  as  I  have  ever  heard  of." 

A  few  minutes  later  an  orderly  came  in  with  a  note  from 
the  general,  asking  the  major  and  Captain  Cooke  also  to  dine 
with  him  that  evening.  Stanley  was  very  pleased  that  the 
two  officers  were  going  with  him,  as  it  took  away  the  feeling 
of  shyness  he  felt  at  the  thought  of  presenting  himself  in  staff 
uniform  at  the  general's.  Sir  Archibald  Campbell  put  him  at 
ease  at  once  by  the  kindness  with  which  he  received  him. 
Stanley  began  to  apologize  for  his  dress,  but  the  general 
stopped  him  at  once. 

"  I  intended,  of  course,  that  you  should  wear  it,  Mr.  Brooke. 


ON    THE    STAFF  115 

I  am  sure  that  you  would  not  find  a  dress  suit  in  the  camp. 
However,  we  will  make  matters  all  right  to-morrow.  Judg- 
ing from  what  you  said  that,  as  you  cannot  join  your  uncle  at 
present,  you  would  be  willing  to  remain  here,  your  name  will 
appear  in  orders  to-morrow  morning  as  being  granted  a  com- 
mission in  the  89th  pending  the  arrival  of  confirmation  from 
home,  which  of  course  in  such  a  case  is  a  mere  form.  You 
will  also  appear  in  the  orders  as  being  appointed  my  aide-de 
camp  in  place  of  Mr.  Hitchcock,  with  extra  pay  as  inter- 
preter. No,  do  not  thank  me.  Having  served  as  a  vol- 
unteer, taken  part  in  a  severe  action,  and  having  been 
wounded  and  imprisoned,  you  had  almost  a  right  to  a  com- 
mission. After  dinner  I  hope  that  you  will  give  us  all  a  full 
account  of  your  adventures ;  it  was  but  a  very  slight  sketch 
that  I  heard  from  you  this  morning. ' ' 

The  general  then  introduced  Stanley  to  the  other  members 
of  his  staff. 

"  If  you  had  seen  him  as  I  saw  him  this  morning,"  he  said 
with  a  smile,  "  you  certainly  would  not  recognize  him  now. 
He  was  naked  to  the  waist,  and  had  nothing  on  but  the  usual 
peasant  attire  of  a  piece  of  black  cloth  reaching  to  his  knees. 
I  knew  of  course  that  the  question  of  costume  would  soon  be 
got  over,  but  I  own  that  I  did  not  think  that  I  should  be  able 
to  employ  him  for  some  little  time.  Not  only  was  his  stain  a 
great  deal  darker  than  it  is  now,  but  he  was  thickly  tattooed 
up  to  the  eyes,  and  one  could  hardly  be  sending  messages  by 
an  aide-de-camp  so  singular  in  appearance ;  but  I  see  that 
somehow  he  has  entirely  got  rid  of  the  tattoo  marks,  and  his 
skin  is  now  very  little,  if  at  all,  darker  than  that  of  many 
of  us,  so  that  I  shall  be  able  to  put  him  in  harness  at 
once." 

After  dinner  was  over  and  cigars  lighted,  Stanley  told  his 
story  as  before,  passing  over  lightly  the  manner  in  which  he 


116  ON    THE    IRRAWADDY 

had  gained  the  friendship  of  the  Burman.  When  he  had  fin- 
ished, however,  Major  Pemberton  said  : 

"  With  your  permission,  general,  I  will  supplement  the 
story  a  little.  Mr.  Brooke  has  told  me  somewhat  more  than 
he  has  told  you,  but  I  gained  the  whole  facts  from  his  guide's 
own  lips." 

"  No,  major,  please,"  Stanley  said  colouring,  even  under 
his  dye.      "  The  matter  is  not  worth  telling." 

"You  must  permit  us  to  be  a  judge  of  that,  Mr.  Brooke," 
the  general  said,  with  a  smile  at  the  young  fellow's  interrup- 
tion of  his  superior  officer. 

"  I  beg  your  pardon,  Major  Pemberton,"  Stanley  stam- 
mered in  some  confusion.      "  Only —  " 

"  Only  you  would  rather  that  I  did  not  tell  about  your 
struggle  with  the  leopard.  I  think  it  ought  to  be  told,  and  I 
am  pretty  sure  Sir  Archibald  Campbell  will  agree  with  me," 
and  Major  Pemberton  then  gave  a  full  account  of  the  advent- 
ure in  the  forest. 

"  Thank  you,  major.  You  were  certainly  quite  right  in 
telling  the  story,  for  it  is  one  that  ought  to  be  told,  and  if 
Mr.  Brooke  will  forgive  my  saying  so,  is  one  of  those  cases 
in  which  it  is  a  mistake  for  a  man  to  try  to  hide  his  light  un- 
der a  bushel.  You  see  it  cannot  but  make  a  difference  in  the 
estimation  in  which  we  hold  you.  Most  young  fellows  would, 
as  you  did,  have  joined  their  countrymen  when  threatened  by 
a  greatly  superior  enemy  ;  and,  again,  most  would,  if  prison- 
ers, have  taken  any  opportunity  that  offered  to  effect  their 
escape.  Therefore  in  the  brief  account  that  you  gave  me  this 
morning,  it  appeared  to  me  that  you  had  behaved  pluckily 
and  shrewdly,  and  had  well  earned  a  commission,  especially 
as  you  have  a  knowledge  of  the  language.  You  simply  told 
me  that  you  had  been  able  to  render  some  service  to  the 
Burman  who  travelled  down  with  you,  but  such  service  might 


ON    THE    STAFF  117 

have  been  merely  that  you  assisted  him  when  he  was  in  want, 
bound  up  a  wound,  or  any  other  small  matter.  Now  we  find 
that  you  performed  an  act  of  singular  courage,  an  act  that 
even  the  oldest  shikaree  would  have  reason  to  be  proud  of. 
Such  an  act,  performed,  too,  for  a  stranger,  and  that  stranger 
an  enemy,  would  of  itself  give  any  man  a  title  to  the  esteem 
and  regard  of  any  among  whom  he  might  be  thrown,  and 
would  lead  them  to  regard  him  in  an  entirely  different  light 
to  that  in  which  they  would  otherwise  have  held  him.  I 
think  that  you  will  all  agree  with  me,  gentlemen." 

"  Certainly."  There  was  a  chorus  of  assent  from  the 
circle  of  officers.  His  narrative  had,  as  the  general  said, 
shown  that  the  young  fellow  was  possessed  of  coolness, 
steadiness,  and  pluck ;  but  this  feat  was  altogether  out  of 
the  common,  and,  as  performed  by  a  mere  lad,  seemed  little 
short  of  marvellous. 

"You  will  of  course  have  Hitchcock's  quarters,"  the 
quartermaster-general  said  to  Stanley  as  the  party  broke  up. 
"  It  is  a  small  room,  but  it  has  the  advantage  of  being  water- 
tight, which  is  more  than  one  can  say  of  most  of  our  quarters. 
It  is  a  room  in  the  upper  storey  of  the  next  house.  I  fancy 
the  poor  fellow's  card  is  on  the  door  still.  The  commissariat 
offices  are  in  the  lower  part  of  the  house,  and  they  occupy  all 
the  other  rooms  upstairs,  but  we  kept  this  for  one  of  the 
aides-de-camp,  so  that  the  general  could  send  a  message  at 
once  night  or  day." 

"  Of  course  I  shall  want  a  horse,  sir." 

"  Yes,  you  must  have  a  horse.  I  will  think  over  what  we 
can  do  for  you  in  that  way.  There  is  no  buying  one  here, 
unless  a  field-officer  is  killed  or  dies.  By  the  way,  Hitch 
cock's  horses  are  not  sold  yet ;  they  were  not  put  up  yester- 
day. I  have  no  doubt  that  some  arrangement  can  be  madt 
about  them  and  the  saddlery." 


118  ON    THE    IRRAWADDY 

"  That  would  be  excellent,  sir.  As  I  told  the  general  this 
morning,  I  have  some  rubies  and  other  stones.  I  have  no 
idea  what  they  are  worth.  They  were  given  me  by  those 
men  I  was  with  in  the  forest.  They  said  that  they  were  very 
difficult  to  dispose  of,  as  the  mines  are  monopolies  of  govern- 
ment, so  when  my  man  Meinik  proposed  it,  they  acceded  at 
once  to  his  request  and  handed  a  number  of  them  over  to  me. 
I  have  not  even  looked  at  them.  There  may  be  someone 
here  who  could  tell  me  what  they  are  worth. ' ' 

"Yes,  I  have  no  doubt  some  of  those  Parsee  merchants 
who  have  lately  set  up  stores  could  tell  you.  I  should  only 
take  down  two  or  three  stones  to  them  if  I  were  you.  If 
they  are  really  valuable  you  might  be  robbed  of  them  ;  but 
I  am  rather  afraid  that  you  will  not  find  that  they  are  so. 
Brigand  fellows  will  hardly  have  been  likely  to  give  you 
anything  very  valuable." 

"I  don't  think  that  they  looked  at  them  themselves; 
they  were  the  proceeds  of  one  day's  attack  on  a  number  of 
merchants.  They  found  them  concealed  on  them,  and  they 
were  so  well  satisfied  with  the  loot  they  got  in  merchandise 
that  they  could  dispose  of,  that  I  doubt  whether  they  even 
opened  the  little  packages  of  what  they  considered  the 
most  dangerous  goods  to  keep,  for  if  they  were  captured 
and  gems  found  upon  them,  it  would  be  sufficient  to  con- 
demn them  at  once." 

"  Do  you  speak  Hindustani?  If  not,  I  will  send  one  of 
the  clerks  with  you." 

"Yes,  sir;  and  three  or  four  other  of  the  Indian  lan- 
guages." 

"  Ah  !  then  you  can  manage  for  yourself.  When  you  have 
seen  one  of  these  Parsees,  come  round  to  my  office.  I  shall 
have  seen  the  paymaster  by  that  time,  and  have  talked  over 
with  him  how  we  can  arrange  about  the  horses.     I  should 


ON    THE    STAFF  119 

think  that  the  best  way  would  be  to  have  a  committee  of 
three  officers  to  value  them  and  the  saddlery,  and  then  you 
might  authorize  him  to  receive  your  extra  pay  as  interpreter, 
and  to  place  it  to  Hitchcock's  account.  You  will  find  your 
own  staff-pay  more  than  ample  here,  as  there  are  no  expenses 
whatever  except  your  share  of  the  mess." 

"  Thank  you  very  much,  indeed,  Colonel." 

In  the  morning  Stanley  took  one  of  the  little  parcels  from 
the  bag  and  opened  it ;  it  contained  thirty  stones,  of  which 
twenty  were  rubies,  six  sapphires,  and  four  emeralds.  They 
seemed  to  him  of  a  good  size,  but  as  they  were  in  the  rough 
state  he  had  no  idea  what  size  they  would  be  when  cut. 
There  were  three  of  the  Parsee  merchants.  The  first  he  went 
to  said  at  once  that  he  did  not  deal  in  gems ;  the  next  he 
called  on  examined  the  stones  carefully. 

"  It  is  impossible  to  say  for  certain,"  he  said,  "  how  much 
they  are  worth  until  they  are  cut,  for  there  may  be  flaws  in 
them  that  cannot  be  detected.  Now,  if  I  were  to  buy  them 
like  this  I  could  not  give  more  than  a  hundred  rupees  each. 
If  they  are  all  flawless  they  would  be  worth  much  more  ;  but  it 
would  bea  pure  speculation,  and  I  will  notgo  beyond  that  sum. ' ' 

Stanley  then  visited  the  third  store.  The  trader  here  in- 
spected them  a  little  more  carefully  than  the  last  had  done, 
examined  them  with  a  magnifying-glass,  held  them  up  to  the 
light,  then  he  weighed  each  stone  and  jotted  down  some 
figures.  At  last  he  said,  "  The  stones  are  worth  five  thou- 
sand rupees.  If  they  are  flawless  they  would  be  worth  double 
that.  I  will  give  you  five  thousand  myself,  or,  if  you  like,  I 
will  send  them  to  a  friend  of  mine  at  Madras.  He  is  one  of 
the  best  judges  of  gems  in  India ;  he  shall  say  what  he  will 
give  for  them,  and  you  shall  pay  me  five  per  cent,  commis- 
sion. He  is  an  honest  trader ;  you  can  ask  any  of  the  officers 
from  Madras." 


120  ON    THE    IRRAWADDV 

"  I  will  accept  that  offer  if  you  will  make  me  an  advance 
of  fifteen  hundred  rupees  upon  them,  and  will  pay  you  at  the 
rate  of  ten  per  cent,  per  annum  interest  till  you  receive  the 
money  for  them." 

The  Parsee  again  took  the  gems  and  examined  them  care- 
fully. 

"  Do  you  agree  to  take  the  jeweller's  offer  whatever  it  is?  " 

"  Yes;  that  is  to  say,  if  it  is  over  the  five  thousand;  if 
it  is  under  the  five  thousand  I  will  sell  them  to  you  at  that 
sum." 

"  I  agree  to  that,"  the  man  said.  "  But  do  not  fear  ;  if 
the  two  largest  stones  are  without  a  flaw,  they  alone  are 
worth  five  thousand." 

"  Let  us  draw  up  the  agreement  at  once,"  Stanley  said. 
And  accordingly  the  terms  were  drawn  up  in  Hindustani 
and  were  signed  by  both  parties.  The  Parsee  then  went  to  a 
safe,  unlocked  it,  and  counted  out  the  rupees  to  the  value 
of  ^150.  These  he  placed  in  a  bag  and  handed  them  to 
Stanley,  who,  delighted  at  the  sum  that  he  had  obtained  for 
but  a  small  portion  of  the  gems,  went  to  the  quartermaster- 
general's  office. 

"  We  have  just  finished  your  business,"  Colonel  Adair  said 
as  he  entered.  "Major  Moultrie,  the  paymaster,  Colonel 
Watt,  and  myself  have  examined  the  horses.  I  know  that 
Hitchcock  paid  sixty  pounds  apiece  for  them  at  Calcutta. 
They  are  both  Arabs  and  good  ones,  and  were  not  dear  at 
the  money.  Our  opinion  is  that  if  they  were  put  up  to  auc- 
tion here  they  would  fetch  ^"40  apiece,  and  that  the  saddle 
and  bridle,  holsters,  and  accoutrements  would  fetch  another 
^20.  There  are  also  a  pair  of  well-finished  pistols  in  the 
holsters ;  they  were  overlooked  or  they  would  have  been  put 
up  in  the  sale  yesterday ;  they  value  them  at  £8  the  brace,  in 
all  ^108.    Will  that  suit  you?    The  major  will,  as  I  proposed, 


ON    THE    STAFF  121 

stop  the  money  from  your  pay  as  a  first-class  interpreter,  that 
is  two  hundred  and  fifty  rupees  a  month,  so  that  in  four 
months  and  a  half  you  will  have  cleared  it  off." 

"  I  am  very  much  obliged  to  you,  Colonel,  but  I  have  just 
received  an  advance  of  fifteen  hundred  rupees  on  some  of  my 
gems  which  the  Parsee  is  going  to  send  to  a  jeweller  of  the 
name  of  Burragee  at  Madras. ' ' 

"  I  congratulate  you,  for  I  hardly  hoped  that  they  would 
turn  out  to  be  worth  so  much.  Burragee  is  a  first-rate  man, 
and  you  can  rely  upon  getting  a  fair  price  from  him.  Well, 
that  obviates  all  difficulty.  By  the  way,  I  should  recommend 
you  to  get  a  light  bedstead  and  bed  and  a  couple  of  blankets 
at  one  of  the  Parsee  stores.  Of  course,  you  did  not  think  of 
it  yesterday  or  you  might  have  bought  Hitchcock's.  How- 
ever, I  noticed  in  one  of  the  Parsees'  shops  a  number  of 
light  bamboo  bedsteads,  which  are  the  coolest  and  best  in  a 
climate  like  this.  If  you  lay  a  couple  of  blankets  on  the  bam- 
boos you  will  find  that  you  don't  want  a  mattress." 

"I  don't  know  what  my  duties  are,  sir,  or  whether  the 
general  will  be  wanting  me." 

"  He  will  not  want  you  to-day.  Anyhow  he  will  know 
that  you  will  be  making  your  arrangements,  and  moving  into 
your  quarters.  By  the  way,  Hitchcock  brought  a  syce  with 
him.  You  must  have  a  man  for  your  horses,  and  I  have  no 
doubt  he  will  be  glad  to  stay  on  with  you." 

Two  hours  later  Stanley  was  installed  in  his  quarters — a 
room  some  twelve  feet  long  by  eight  wide.  A  bed  stood  in 
one  corner.  There  was  a  table  for  writing  on,  two  light  bam- 
boo chairs,  and  an  Indian  lounging  chair.  In  the  corner  was 
a  small  bamboo  table,  on  which  was  a  large  brass  basin,  while 
a  great  earthenware  jar  for  water  stood  beside  it,  and  a  piece 
of  Indian  matting  covered  the  floor.  He  learned  that  the  staff 
messed  together  in  a  large  room  in  the  next  house,  and  that 


122  ON    THE    IRRAWADDY 

he  would  there  get  a  cup  of  coffee  and  a  biscuit  at  six  in  the 
morning,  breakfast  at  half-past  eight,  lunch  and  dinner  ;  so 
that  he  would  not  have  to  do  any  cooking  whatever  for  him- 
self. He  had  given  Meinik  a  small  sum  to  lay  out  in  cooking- 
pots  and  necessaries  for  his  own  use.  The  syce  had  gladly 
entered  his  employ.  Stanley  had  inspected  the  horses,  which, 
although  light  to  the  eye,  would  be  well  capable  of  bearing 
his  weight  through  a  long  day's  work.  They  were  picketed 
with  those  of  the  general  and  staff,  in  a  line  behind  the  house 
devoted  to  the  headquarters.  After  lunch  he  went  into  the 
general's,  and  reported  himself  as  ready  for  duty. 

"  I  shall  not  want  you  this  afternoon,  Mr.  Brooke.  Here  is  a 
plan  showing  the  position  of  the  different  corps  ;  you  had  bet- 
ter get  it  by  heart ;  when  it  gets  cooler  this  afternoon  I  should 
advise  you  to  ride  out,  and  examine  the  position  and  the  roads, 
so  that  even  at  night  you  can,  if  necessary,  carry  a  message  to 
any  of  the  regiments.  The  Burmese  are  constantly  creeping  up 
and  stabbing  our  sentries,  and  sometimes  they  attack  in  con- 
siderable force.  When  anything  like  heavy  firing  begins  it  will 
be  your  duty  to  find  out  at  once  what  is  going  on,  and  bring 
me  word,  as  it  may  be  necessary  to  send  up  reinforcements. 

"  In  the  morning  it  will  be  your  duty  to  examine  any  pris- 
oners who  have  been  taken  during  the  night,  and  also  natives 
who  have  made  their  way  into  the  town,  in  order  to  ascertain 
whether  any  date  has  been  fixed  for  their  next  attack,  and 
what  forces  are  likely  to  take  part  in  it.  You  can  make  your 
man  useful  at  this  work.  By  the  way,  I  will  tell  Colonel 
Adair  to  put  him  down  on  the  list  of  the  quartermaster's  na- 
tive followers.  He  need  not  do  anything  else  but  this.  But 
it  is  likely  that  the  natives  will  speak  more  freely  to  him  than 
they  would  to  a  white  officer,  and  he  may  as  well  be  earning 
thirty  rupees  a  month  and  drawing  rations  as  hanging  about 
all  day  doing  nothing. ' ' 


ON    THE    STAFF  123 

Thanking  the  general,  Stanley  took  the  plan,  and  going 
back  to  his  quarters  studied  it  attentively.  He  told  Meinik 
of  the  arrangement  that  had  been  made  for  him,  with  which 
the  Burman  was  much  pleased.  Thirty  rupees  a  month  seemed 
a  large  sum  to  him,  and  he  was  glad  that  he  should  not  be 
costing  Stanley  money  for  his  food.  Three  hours  later  one 
of  his  horses  was  brought  round,  and  he  started  on  his  ride 
through  the  camp.  There  were  two  roads  leading  through 
the  town  to  the  great  pagoda.  Both  were  thickly  bordered 
by  religious  houses  and  pagodas,  the  latter,  for  the  most  part, 
being  in  a  state  of  dilapidation.  Houses  and  pagodas  alike 
had  been  turned  into  quarters  for  the  troops,  and  had  been 
invaluable  during  the  wet  season. 

The  terrace  of  the  great  pagoda  was  occupied  by  the  89th 
Regiment  and  the  Madras  Artillery.  This  was  the  most  ad- 
vanced position,  and  was  the  key  of  the  defence.  Leaving 
his  horse  in  charge  of  his  syce  at  the  foot  of  the  pagoda  hill, 
Stanley  went  up  to  the  terrace  and  soon  entered  into  conver- 
sation with  some  of  the  British  officers,  who  at  once  recog- 
nized him  as  having  been  that  morning  put  in  orders  as  the 
general's  aide-de-camp.  As  he  was  unknown  to  every  one, 
and  no  ship  had  come  in  for  some  days,  there  was  naturally 
much  curiosity  felt  as  to  who  the  stranger  was  who  had  been 
appointed  to  a  commission  and  to  the  coveted  post  of  aide- 
de-camp  in  one  day.  After  chatting  for  two  or  three  min- 
utes, they  conducted  Stanley  to  che  colonel's  quarters,  a  small 
building  at  the  foot  of  the  pagoda. 

•'  This  is  Mr.  Brooke,  Colonel,  the  gentleman  who  was 
gazetted  to  us  this  morning. ' ' 

"lam  glad  to  see  you,  Mr.  Brooke,  but  I  should  be  more 
glad  still  if  you  had  been  coming  to  join,  for  we  have  lost  sev- 
eral officers  from  sickness,  and  there  are  others  unfit  for  duty. 
When  did  you  arrive?" 


124  ON    THE    IRRAWADDY 

"  I  arrived  only  yesterday  morning,  sir.  I  came  here  in 
disguise,  having  made  my  way  down  from  Ava. ' ' 

"  Oh,  indeed  !  We  heard  a  report  that  a  white  man  had 
arrived  in  disguise  at  the  lines  of  the  45th  Native  Infantry, 
but  we  have  had  no  particulars  beyond  that. ' ' 

"  I  was  captured  at  Ramoo,  sir,  while  I  was  acting  as  an 
officer  of  the  native  levy.  Fortunately  I  was  stunned  by  the 
graze  of  a  musket-ball,  and  being  supposed  dead,  was  not 
killed,  as  were  all  the  other  officers  who  fell  into  the  hands  of 
the  Burmese.  Their  fury  had  abated  by  the  time  I  came  to 
myself,  and  I  was  carried  up  to  Ava  with  some  twenty  sepoy 
prisoners.  After  a  time  I  made  my  escape  from  prison  and 
took  to  the  forest,  where  I  remained  some  weeks  till  the  search 
for  me  had  abated  somewhat.  Then  I  made  my  way  down 
the  country,  for  the  most  part  in  a  fishing-boat,  journeying 
only  at  night,  and  so  succeeded  in  getting  in  here.  Fortu- 
nately I  speak  the  Mug  dialect,  which  is  very  closely  akin  to 
the  Burmese." 

"  Well,"  the  colonel  said,  "  I  hope  that  you  will  consider 
the  regiment  your  home,  though  I  suppose  that,  until  the 
campaign  is  at  an  end,  you  will  only  be  able  to  pay  us  an 
occasional  visit.  You  are  lucky  in  getting  the  staff  appoint- 
ment. No  doubt  you.-  being  able  to  talk  Burmese  has  a  great 
deal  to  do  with  it." 

"  Everything,  I  think,  sir.  The  general  had  no  one  on 
his  staff  who  could  speak  the  language,  and,  unless  he  hap- 
pened to  have  with  him  one  of  the  very  few  men  here  who 
can  do  so,  often  had  to  wait  some  time  before  a  prisoner 
could  be  questioned." 

He  remained  chatting  for  half  an  hour,  and  then  rode  back 
to  the  town,  taking  the  other  road  to  that  which  he  had 
before  traversed. 


THE    PAGODA  125 


CHAPTER   VIII 

THE    PAGODA 

TWO  days  later  a  prisoner  was  captured  when  endeavour- 
ing to  crawl  up  the  pagoda  hill,  having  slipped  past  the 
outposts,  and  was  sent  into  headquarters.  Stanley  questioned 
him  closely,  but  could  obtain  no  information  whatever  from 
him.  Telling  him  to  sit  down  by  the  house  he  placed  a 
British  sentry  over  him. 

"Keep  your  eye,"  he  said,  "on  the  door  of  the  next 
house.  You  will  see  a  Burman  come  out.  You  are  to  let 
him  talk  with  the  prisoner,  but  let  no  one  else  speak  to  him. 
Don't  look  as  if  you  had  any  orders  about  him,  but  stand 
carelessly  by.  The  fellow  will  tell  us  nothing,  but  it  is  likely 
enough  that  he  will  speak  to  one  of  his  own  countrymen." 

"I  understand,  sir."  Stanley  went  into  his  house  and 
told  Meinik  what  he  was  wanted  to  do. 

"I  will  find  out,"  Meinik  said  confidently,  and  a  minute 
or  two  later  went  out  and  strolled  along  past  the  prisoner. 
As  he  did  so  he  gave  him  a  little  nod,  and  returning  again 
shortly,  saluted  him  in  Burmese.  Ther  third  time  he  passed 
he  looked  inquiringly  at  the  sentry,  as  if  to  ask  whether  he 
might  speak  to  the  prisoner.  The  soldier,  however,  appeared 
to  pay  no  attention  to  him,  but  stood  with  grounded  musket 
leaning  against  the  wall,  and  Meinik  went  up  to  the  man. 

"  You  are  in  bad  luck,"  he  said.  "  How  did  you  manage 
to  fall  into  the  hands  of  these  people  ?  " 

"  It  matters  not  to  you,"  the  Burman  said  indignantly, 
"  since  you  have  gone  over  to  them." 

"  Not  at  all,  not  at  all,"  Meinik  replied.  "Do  you  not 
know  that  there  are  many  here  who,  like  myself,  have  come 


126  ON    THE    IRRAWADDY 

in  as  fugitives,  with  instructions  what  to  do  when  our  people 
attack  ?  I  am  expecting  news  as  to  when  the  soothsayers  de- 
clare the  day  to  be  a  fortunate  one.  Then  we  shall  all  be  in 
readiness  to  do  our  share  as  soon  as  the  firing  begins." 

"  It  will  be  on  the  fourth  day  from  this,"  the  Burman 
said.  '-  We  do  not  know  whether  it  will  be  the  night  before 
or  the  night  after.  The  soothsayers  say  both  will  be  fort- 
unate nights,  and  the  Invulnerables  will  then  assault  the 
pagoda  and  sweep  the  barbarians  away.  The  princes  and 
woongees  will  celebrate  the  great  annual  festival  there  two 
days  later." 

"That  is  good!"  Meinik  said.  "We  shall  be  on  the 
look-out,  never  fear." 

"  What  are  they  going  to  do  to  me ;  will  they  cut  off  my 
head?" 

"  No,  you  need  not  be  afraid  of  that;  these  white  men 
never  kill  prisoners.  After  they  are  once  taken,  they  are  safe. 
You  will  be  kept  for  a  time,  and  when  our  countrymen  have 
destroyed  the  barbarians  and  taken  the  town  they  will  free 
you  from  prison.  There  are  some  of  the  white  officers  com- 
ing; I  must  get  away,  or  they  will  be  asking  questions." 

As  he  walked  away  the  sentry  put  his  musket  to  his 
shoulder  and  began  to  march  briskly  up  and  down.  A 
moment  later  the  general  stepped  up  to  him. 

' '  What  are  you  doing,  my  man  ?  who  put  you  on  guard 
over  that  prisoner?  " 

"  I  don't  know  his  name,  sir,"  the  sentry  said,  standing 
at  attention.  "  He  was  a  young  staff  officer  ;  he  came  to  the 
guard-tent  and  called  for  a  sentry,  and  as  I  was  next  on  duty 
the  sergeant  sent  me  with  him.  He  put  me  to  watch  this 
man." 

"AH  right;  keep  a  sharp  look-out  over  him.  I  wonder 
what  Brooke  left  the  fellow  here  for,  instead  of  sending  him 


THE    PAGODA  127 

to  prison,"  the  general  said  to  Colonel  Adair.  "  We  ex- 
amined him,  but  could  get  nothing  out  of  him  even  when  I 
threatened  to  hang  him." 

"  I  will  just  run  up  to  his  quarters  and  ask  him,  sir." 

Just  as  he  entered  the  house  Stanley  was  coming  down  the 
stairs. 

• '  The  general  wants  to  know,  Mr.  Brooke,  why  you  placed 
a  prisoner  under  a  guard  by  his  house,  instead  of  sending  him 
to  the  prison,  as  usual?  " 

"  I  was  just  coming  to  tell  him,  sir." 

"  Ah,  well,  he  is  outside  ;  so  you  can  tell  us  both  together." 

' '  Well,  Mr.  Brooke,  what  made  you  put  a  sentry  over  the 
man  and  leave  him  here  ?  The  men  are  hard  enough  worked 
without  having  unnecessary  sentry  duty." 

"  Yes,  sir;  I  only  left  him  for  a  few  minutes.  I  was  con- 
vinced the  man  knew  something  by  his  demeanour  when  I 
questioned  him,  and  I  thought  I  might  as  well  try  if  my  man 
could  not  get  more  out  of  him  than  I  could ;  so  I  put  a  sentry 
over  him  and  gave  him  instructions  that  he  was  to  let  a  Bur- 
man  who  would  come  out  of  this  house  speak  to  the  prisoner, 
but  that  no  one  else  was  to  approach  him.  Then  I  in- 
structed my  man  as  to  the  part  that  he  was  to  play.  He 
passed  two  or  three  times,  making  a  sign  of  friendship  to  the 
prisoner.  Then,  as  the  sentry  had  apparently  no  objection  to 
his  speaking  to  him,  he  came  up.  At  first  the  man  would  say 
nothing  to  him,  but  Meiniktold  him  that  he  was  one  of  those 
who  had  been  sent  to  Rangoon  to  aid  when  the  assault  took 
place,  and  that  he  was  anxiously  waiting  for  news  when  the 
favourable  day  would  be  declared  by  the  astrologers,  so  that 
he  and  those  with  him  would  be  ready  to  begin  their  work  as 
soon  as  the  attack  commenced.  The  prisoner  fell  into  the 
snare  and  told  him  that  it  would  be  made  either  on  the  night 
before  or  on  the  night  of  the  fourth  day  from  this,  when  the 


128  ON    THE    IRRAWADDY 

Invulnerables  had  undertaken  to  storm  the  pagoda.  It  seems 
that  the  date  was  fixed  partly  because  it  was  a  fortunate  one, 
and  also  in  order  that  the  princes  and  head  officials  might 
properly  celebrate  the  great  annual  festival  of  the  pagoda, 
which  falls,  it  seems,  on  the  sixth  day  from  now." 

"  Excellent  indeed,  Mr.  Brooke.  It  is  a  great  relief  to  me 
to  know  when  the  assault  is  going  to  take  place,  and  from 
what  point  it  will  be  delivered.  But  what  made  you  think  of 
the  story  that  the  Burman  was  one  of  a  party  that  had  come 
in  to  do  something  ?  " 

"  It  was  what  Colonel  Adair  mentioned  at  dinner  last  even- 
ing, sir.  He  was  saying  how  awkward  it  would  be  if  some 
of  these  natives  who  have  come  in  were  to  fire  the  town  just 
as  a  strong  attack  was  going  on,  and  most  of  the  troops 
engaged  with  the  enemy.  It  was  not  unlikely  that  if  such  a 
plan  had  been  formed  the  prisoner  would  know  of  it,  and 
that  he  might  very  well  believe  what  my  man  said,  that 
some  men  had  been  sent  into  the  town  with  that  or  some 
similar  intention." 

"  True  enough  ;  the  idea  was  a  capital  one,  Mr.  Brooke, 
and  we  shall  be  ready  for  them  whichever  night  they  come. 
Will  you  please  go  across  to  the  guard-tent  and  tell  the 
sergeant  to  send  a  corporal  across  to  the  man  on  sentry 
with  orders  to  take  the  prisoner  to  the  jail,  and  hand  him 
over  to  the  officer  in  command  there?  When  you  have  done 
that,  will  you  ride  out  to  the  pagoda  and  inform  your  colonel 
what  5rou  have  discovered?  It  will  be  a  relief  to  him  and 
to  the  men,  for  as  the  date  of  the  attack  has  been  uncertain, 
he  has  been  obliged  to  largely  increase  his  patrols,  and  to 
keep  a  portion  of  his  force  all  night  under  arms.  He  will 
be  able  to  decrease  the  number,  and  let  the  men  have  as 
much  sleep  as  they  can  for  the  next  two  nights.  The  clouds 
are  banking  up,  and  I  am  very  much  afraid  that  the  rain  is 


THE    PAGODA  129 

going  to  set  in  again.     They  say  that  we  shall  have  another 
two  months  of  it." 

After  seeing  the  prisoner  marched  away,  Stanley  rode  to 
the  pagoda,  and  saying  that  he  had  come  with  a  message 
from  the  general,  was  at  once  shown  into  the  colonel's 
quarters. 

"  Any  news,  Mr.  Brooke  ?  " 

"Yes,  Colonel;  the  general  has  requested  me  to  inform 
you  at  once  of  the  news  that  I  have  obtained  from  a  prisoner, 
namely,  that  either  on  the  night  of  the  30th  or  31st  your 
position  will  be  attacked  by  the  men  who  are  called  the 
Invulnerables. ' ' 

' '  We  will  give  them  a  chance  of  proving  whether  their 
title  is  justified,"  the  colonel  said  cheerfully.  "  That  is  very 
good  news ;  the  men  are  getting  thoroughly  worn  out  with 
the  extra  night  duty  caused  by  this  uncertainty.  You  think 
that  there  is  no  doubt  that  the  news  is  correct  ? ' ' 

"  None  whatever,  sir.  I  could  do  nothing  with  the 
prisoner ;  but  my  Burman  pretended  to  have  a  mission  here 
to  kick  up  a  row  in  the  town  when  the  attack  began, 
and  the  man,  believing  his  story,  at  once  told  him  that  the 
attack  will  be  made  on  the  pagoda  by  the  Invulnerables  on 
the  early  morning  of  the  fourth  day  from  this,  or  on  the 
next  night,  the  astrologers  having  declared  that  the  time 
would  be  propitious,  and  also  because  they  were  very  anxious 
to  have  the  pagoda  in  their  hands,  in  order  that  the  princes 
might  celebrate  the  great  annual  festival  that  is  held,  it  seems, 
two  days  after. ' ' 

The  colonel  laughed.  "  I  am  afraid  that  they  will  have  to 
put  it  off  for  another  year.  The  general  gave  no  special  orders, 
I  suppose  ?  ' ' 

"  No,  sir;  he  had  only  just  received  the  news,  and  ordered 
me  to  ride  over  at  once  to  you,  as  he  was  sure  that  you  would 
9 


130  ON    THE    IRRAWADDY 

be  glad  to  know  that  it  would  not  be  necessary  to  keep  so 
many  men  on  night  duty  for  the  next  two  days." 

' '  Thank  you,  Mr.  Brooke.  Will  you  kindly  tell  the  gen- 
eral that  I  am  very  pleased  at  the  news  ?  No  doubt  he  will 
be  up  here  himself  this  afternoon  or  to-morrow." 

Stanley  rode  back  fast,  and  was  just  in  time  to  escape  a 
tremendous  downpour  of  rain  which  began  a  few  minutes 
after  he  returned.  He  went  in  at  once  to  the  general's,  but 
was  told  that  he  was  engaged  with  the  quartermaster  and 
adjutant  generals.  He  therefore  went  into  the  anteroom 
where  Tollemache,  his  fellow  aide-de-camp,  was  standing  at 
the  window  looking  out  at  the  rain. 

"This  is  a  beastly  climate,"  he  grumbled.  "It  is  awful 
to  think  that  we  are  likely  to  get  another  two  months  of  it, 
and  shall  then  have  to  wait  at  least  another  before  the  coun- 
try is  dry  enough  to  make  a  move.  You  were  lucky  in  get- 
ting in  just  now  before  it  began." 

"  I  was  indeed,"  Stanley  agreed,  "for  I  had  ridden  off 
without  my  cloak,  and  should  have  been  drenched  had  it 
begun  two  minutes  earlier." 

' (  I  saw  you  gallop  past,  and  wondered  what  you  were  in 
such  a  hurry  about.  Was  it  like  this  when  you  were  out  in 
the  woods  ?  ' ' 

11  Not  in  the  least.  There  is  very  little  rain  near  Ava, 
though  the  country  is  a  good  deal  flooded,  where  it  is  fiat, 
from  the  rivers  being  swollen  by  the  rains  in  the  hills.  We 
had  lovely  weather  all  the  time." 

"  I  should  like  to  see  a  little  lovely  weather  here.  The 
last  week  has  been  almost  worse  than  the  rain — the  steamy 
heat  is  like  being  in  a  vapour  bath.  If  it  were  not  that  I  am 
on  duty  I  should  like  to  strip,  and  go  out  and  enjoy  a  shower 
bath  for  half  an  hour. ' ' 

Stanley  laughed.      "  It  really  would  be  pleasant,"  he  said. 


THE    PAGODA  131 

"  I  don't  think  that  I  gained  much  by  hurrying  back,  for  the 
gallop  has  thrown  me  into  such  a  perspiration  that  I  might 
almost  as  well  be  drenched  by  the  rain,  except  that  my 
clothes  won't  suffer  so  much." 

"Ah,  it  is  all  very  well  for  you,"  the  other  grumbled. 
"  Of  course  after  once  having  wandered  about  in  the  forest 
painted  up  like  a  nigger  you  feel  cheerful  under  almost  any 
circumstances,  but  for  us  who  have  been  cooped  up  doing 
nothing  in  this  beastly  place,  it  is  impossible  to  look  at 
things  cheerfully. ' ' 

"  Have  you  heard  that  the  enemy  are  going  to  attack  on 
Tuesday  or  Wednesday  night  ?  ' ' 

"No!"  the  other  exclaimed  with  a  sudden  animation. 
"  The  general  only  came  in  a  quarter  of  an  hour  ago,  and  as 
he  had  the  two  bigwigs  with  him  of  course  I  did  not  speak  to 
him.     Is  it  certain  ?  how  did  you  hear  it?  " 

"It  is  quite  certain — that  is,  unless  the  Burmese  change 
their  mind,  which  is  not  likely.  The  princes  want  to  cele- 
brate the  great  annual  festival  at  the  pagoda  on  Friday,  and 
so  the  Invulnerables  are  going,  as  they  think,  to  capture  it 
either  on  Tuesday  or  Wednesday  night.  I  have  just  been 
up  there  to  tell  the  colonel.  As  to  your  other  question,  how 
did  I  learn  it, — I  got  it,  or  rather  my  Burman  did,  from  that 
prisoner  we  were  questioning  this  morning.  He  would  not 
say  anything  then,  but  my  man  got  round  him,  and,  believing 
that  he  was  a  spy  or  something  of  that  kind,  the  prisoner  told 
him  all  about  it." 

"  Are  they  only  going  to  attack  at  the  pagoda  ?  " 

"  That  I  cannot  say;  that  is  the  only  point  that  the  man 
mentioned.     I  should  say  that  it  would  only  be  there." 

"  Why  should  it  only  be  there?  " 

"  Because  I  should  imagine  that  even  the  Burmese  must 
be  beginning  to  doubt  whether  they  could  defeat  our  whole 


132  ON    THE    IRRAWADDY 

force,  and  as  they  particularly  wish  to  occupy  the  pagoda  on 
Friday,  they  would  hardly  risk  an  attack  on  other  points 
which  might  end  in  disaster,  while  what  with  the  propitious 
nature  of  the  day  and  the  fact  that  the  Invulnerables  have 
undertaken  to  capture  the  pagoda,  no  doubt  they  look  upon 
that  as  certain." 

"  I  suppose  that  you  are  right,  Brooke.  Well,  I  do  hope 
that  the  general  will  let  us  go  up  to  see  the  fun." 

"  What,  even  if  it  is  raining  ?  " 

"  Of  course,"  the  other  said  indignantly.  "What  does 
one  care  for  rain  when  there  is  something  to  do  ?  Why,  I  be- 
lieve that  if  it  was  coming  down  in  a  sheet,  and  the  men  had 
to  wade  through  the  swamps  waist  deep,  they  would  all  march 
in  the  highest  spirits  if  there  was  the  chance  of  a  fight  with 
the  Burmans  at  the  end  of  the  day.  However,  I  am  afraid 
that  there  is  no  chance  of  our  getting  off  unless  the  chief  goes 
himself.  There  may  be  attacks  in  other  places.  As  you  say, 
it  is  not  likely  ;  but  it  is  possible.  Therefore,  of  course,  we 
should  have  to  be  at  hand  to  carry  orders.  Of  course  if  he 
takes  his  post  at  the  pagoda,  it  will  be  all  right,  though  the 
betting  is  that  we  shall  have  to  gallop  off  just  at  the  most  in- 
teresting moment." 

Presently  the  two  officers  left  the  general.  The  latter's 
bell  rang,  and  Stanley  went  in. 

"  You  saw  the  colonel,  Mr.  Brooke  ?  " 

"  Yes,  sir  ;  and  he  begged  me  to  say  that  he  was  extremely 
glad  to  get  the  news,  and  much  obliged  to  you  for  sending  it 
so  promptly." 

"  There  is  no  occasion  for  you  and  Mr.  Tollemache  to  stay 
here  any  longer  now,  but  at  five  o'clock  I  shall  ride  out  to  the 
pagoda.  At  any  rate,  should  I  want  you  before  then,  I  shall 
know  where  to  send  for  you. ' ' 

This  was  the  general  order,  for  in  the  afternoon  there  was, 


THE    PAGODA  133 

when  things  were  quiet,  a  hush  for  two  or  three  hours.  The 
work  of  the  aides-de-camp  was  indeed  generally  very  light, 
for,  as  there  were  no  movements  of  troops,  no  useless  parades, 
and  very  few  military  orders  to  be  carried,  they  had  a  great 
deal  of  time  on  their  hands,  and  usually  took  it  by  turns  to  be 
on  duty  for  the  day,  the  one  off  duty  being  free  to  pay  visits 
to  acquaintances  in  the  various  camps  or  on  board  ship. 
During  the  rainy  season,  however,  very  few  officers  or  men 
went  beyond  shelter  unless  obliged  to  do  so,  and  from  two  till 
four  or  five  no  small  proportion  passed  the  time  in  sleep. 

Stanley  had  intended  to  pay  a  visit  to  the  Lame,  as  Cap- 
tain Marryat,  who  had  dined  at  the  staff  mess  on  the  previous 
evening,  had  invited  him  to  go  on  board  whenever  it  might 
be  convenient  to  him.  The  Larue  had  performed  good  ser- 
vice in  the  operations  against  the  stockades,  and  her  boats  had 
been  particularly  active  and  successful.  Her  captain  was  one 
of  the  most  popular  as  well  as  one  of  the  most  energetic  offi- 
cers in  the  service,  and  was  to  become  as  popular  with  future 
generations,  as  the  brightest  of  all  writers  of  sea  stories. 
However,  the  day  was  not  favourable  for  an  excursion  on  the 
water  ;  Stanley  therefore  went  back  to  his  room,  where,  di- 
vesting himself  of  his  jacket,  he  sat  down  at  the  open  window 
and  read  up  a  batch  of  the  last  newspapers  from  England  that 
had  been  lent  him  by  Colonel  Adair. 

At  five  o'clock  Meinik  came  in  to  say  that  his  horse  was  at 
the  general's  door.  Stanley  hastily  put  on  his  jacket  and  cloak, 
and  sallied  out.  The  general  came  down  in  a  few  minutes, 
followed  by  Tollemache,  and,  mounting,  they  rode  to  the 
pagoda.  Here  Sir  Archibald  had  a  talk  with  the  colonel  of 
the  89th  and  the  officer  commanding  the  battery  of  the 
Madras  Artillery.  Both  were  of  opinion  that  their  force 
was  amply  sufficient  to  resist  any  attack.  The  only  approach 
to   it  from  the  forest  was  a  long  road  between  two  swamps, 


134  ON    THE    IRRAWADDY 

which,  a  short  distance  away,  had  become  lakes  since  the  wet 
weather  set  in. 

"  Had  they  taken  us  by  surprise,"  the  colonel  said,  "some 
of  them  might  have  got  across  before  we  were  quite  ready  for 
them,  and  might  have  given  us  some  trouble ;  but  as  we  shall 
be  prepared  I  don't  think  that  any  of  them  will  reach  the  foot 
of  this  hill,  and  if  they  did,  none  of  them  would  reach  this 
terrace.  If  an  attack  were  made  from  the  other  side,  it  would 
of  course  be  a  good  deal  more  serious,  as  the  ground  is  firm 
and  they  could  attack  all  along  the  foot  of  the  hill ;  but,  as 
they  cannot  get  there  until  they  have  defeated  the  rest  of  the 
army,  I  consider  that,  even  without  the  assistance  of  the  guns, 
we  could  hold  the  hill  with  musket  and  bayonet  against  any 
force  that  they  are  likely  to  bring  against  us." 

"  Very  well,  then  ;  I  shall  not  reinforce  you,  Colonel.  Of 
course  we  shall  keep  a  considerable  number  of  troops  under 
arms,  in  case  they  should  attack  all  along  the  line,  at  the 
same  time  that  they  make  their  principal  effort  here.  I 
rather  hope  that  the  rain  will  keep  on  until  this  affair  is  over." 
The  colonel  looked  surprised. 

"  I  am  much  more  afraid,"  the  general  went  on,  "  of  fire 
in  the  town  than  I  am  of  an  attack  without.  The  number 
of  natives  there  is  constantly  increasing.  No  doubt  the 
greater  number  of  those  who  come  in  are  natives  of  the  place 
who  have  managed,  since  we  cleared  out  their  war  galleys 
from  some  of  the  creeks  and  channels,  to  escape  from  the  au- 
thorities and  to  make  their  way  in,  either  on  foot  or  in  fisher- 
men's boats ;  but  some  of  them  may  be  sent  in  as  spies,  or  to  do 
us  harm.  I  have  been  having  a  long  talk  over  it  with  Colo- 
nel Adair  this  afternoon,  and  he  quite  agrees  with  me  that  we 
must  reckon  on  the  probability  of  an  attempt  to  fire  the  town. 
It  would  be  a  terrible  blow  to  us  if  they  succeeded,  for  the 
loss  of  our  stores  would  completely  cripple  us.     They  would 


THE    PAGODA  135 

naturally  choose  the  occasion  of  an  attack  upon  our  lines  for 
the  attempt,  for  in  the  first  place  most  of  the  troops  will  be 
under  arms  and  drawn  up  outside  the  town,  and  in  the  second 
place  the  sight  of  the  place  on  fire  would  cause  much  confu- 
sion, would  inspirit  our  assailants,  and  necessitate  a  consider- 
able force  being  withdrawn  from  the  field  to  fight  the  fire.  If 
the  rains  continue  we  need  feel  no  uneasiness  whatever,  for 
there  would  be  no  getting  anything  to  burn  ;  whereas,  in  dry 
weather,  a  man  with  a  torch  might  light  the  thatch  as  fast  as 
he  could  run  along,  and  a  whole  street  would  be  in  a  blaze  in  two 
or  three  minutes,  and  if  a  wind  happened  to  be  blowing  it  might 
make  a  sweep  of  the  whole  place  in  spite  of  all  our  efforts." 

"  I  see  that,  sir.  I  own  that  I  had  never  given  it  a  thought 
before." 

"  I  shall  come  up  here,  Colonel,  unless  we  obtain  sure  news 
before  the  time  arrives  that  the  attack  is  going  to  be  a  general 
one  ;  indeed  it  is  in  any  case  the  best  place  to  post  myself, 
for  I  can  see  over  the  whole  country,  and  send  orders  to  any 
point  where  the  enemy  may  be  making  progress,  or  where  our 
men  can  advance  with  advantage.  The  line  of  fire  flashes 
will  be  as  good  a  guide  at  night  as  the  smoke  by  day." 

"  I  will  get  a  cot  rigged  up  for  you,  General,  as  we  don't 
know  which  night  it  is  to  be." 

"  Thank  you.  Yes,  I  may  just  as  well  turn  in,  all  stand- 
ing, as  the  sailors  say,  and  get  a  few  hours'  sleep,  for  in  this 
climate  one  cannot  keep  at  it  night  and  day  as  we  had  to  do 
in  Spain." 

The  two  aides-de-camp  were  kept  in  suspense  as  to  what  the 
general's  intentions  were,  and  it  was  not  until  the  morning  of 
Tuesday  that  he  said  to  them  : 

"I  am  going  up  to  the  pagoda  this  evening,  Mr.  Tolle- 
mache,  and  you  had  better,  therefore,  put  some  provisions  and 
a  bottle  of  brandy  into  your  holsters." 


136  ON    THE    IRRAWADDY 

At  nine  in  the  evening  they  rode  off.  The  rain  had  ceased  ; 
the  moon  was  shining  through  the  clouds. 

"It  will  be  down  by  twelve  o'clock,"  Tollemache  said. 
"  I  should  think  most  likely  they  will  wait  for  that;  they  will 
think  that  we  shall  not  be  able  to  take  aim  at  them  in  the 
darkness,  and  that  they  will  manage  to  get  to  the  foot  of  the 
hill  without  loss." 

When  they  reached  the  platform  in  front  of  the  pagoda, 
their  syces  took  their  horses.  Meinik  had  begged  Stanley 
to  let  him  take  his  groom's  place  on  this  occasion,  and  laying 
aside  the  dress  he  ordinarily  wore,  assumed  the  light  attire  of 
an  Indian  syce,  and  had  run  behind  the  horses  with  the  others. 
He  had  a  strong  desire  to  see  the  fighting,  but  his  principal 
motive  in  asking  to  be  allowed  to  accompany  Stanley  was 
that,  although  greatly  impressed  with  what  he  had  seen  of  the 
drill  and  discipline  of  the  white  and  native  regiments,  he  could 
not  shake  off  his  faith  in  the  Invulnerables,  and  had  a  convic- 
tion that  the  pagoda  would  be  captured,  and  therefore  wished 
to  be  at  hand  to  bring  up  Stanley's  horse  at  the  critical  mo- 
ment, and  to  aid  him  to  escape  from  the  assailants.  Fires 
were  burning,  as  usual,  at  several  points  on  the  terrace.  Two 
companies  were  under  arms,  and  were  standing  well  back  from 
the  edge  of  the  platform  so  as  to  be  out  of  sight  of  those  in 
the  forest.  The  rest  of  the  men  were  sitting  round  the  fires  ; 
their  muskets  were  piled  in  lines  hard  by. 

When  he  alighted,  the  general  proceeded  to  the  battery. 

"  Have  you  everything  in  readiness,  Major?  "  he  asked  the 
officer  in  command. 

"Yes,  sir.  The  guns  are  all  loaded  with  grape,  and  as  it 
will  be  very  dark  when  the  moon  has  set,  I  have  pegged  a 
white  tape  along  just  under  each  gun,  so  that  they  can  be 
trained  upon  the  causeway  however  dark  it  may  be." 

"  That  is  a  very  good  idea,"  the  general  said.      "  There  is 


THE    PAGODA  137 

nothing  more  difficult  than  laying  guns  accurately  in  the 
dark." 

The  colonel  now  arrived,  a  soldier  having  brought  the 
news  to  him  as  soon  as  the  general  reached  the  platform. 

"  I  see  that  you  are  well  prepared  to  give  them  a  hot  re- 
ception, Colonel." 

'•  I  hope  so,  sir.  I  have  a  strong  patrol  out  beyond  the 
causeway.  My  orders  are,  that  they  are  to  resist  strongly  for 
a  minute  or  two,  so  as  to  give  us  time  to  have  the  whole  of 
our  force  in  readiness  here.  Then  they  are  to  retreat  at  the 
double  to  the  foot  of  the  hill,  and  then  to  open  fire  again,  so 
that  we  may  know  that  they  are  out  of  the  way,  and  that  we 
can  begin  when  we  like.  We  have  been  making  some  port 
fires  this  afternoon,  and  I  have  a  dozen  men  half-way  down 
the  hill,  and  directly  the  outposts  are  safely  across  they  are 
to  light  the  port  fires,  which  will  enable  us  to  take  aim. 
These  white  tapes  will  be  guide  enough  for  the  artillery,  but 
my  men  would  make  very  poor  shooting  if  they  could  not 
make  out  the  muzzles  of  their  guns.  Anyhow  I  don't  think 
that  it  is  likely  that  the  enemy  will  get  across  the  causeway 
however  numerous  they  may  be." 

"  I  don't  think  they  will,  Colonel.  Certainly,  so  far,  they 
have  shown  themselves  contemptible  in  attack,  and  have  never 
made  a  successful  stand,  even  for  a  minute,  when  we  once 
entered  their  stockades,  though  they  defend  them  pluckily 
enough  until  we  have  once  got  a  footing  inside.  Still,  these 
fellows  ought  to  fight  well  to-night,  for  if  they  are  beaten  it 
will  be  a  deathblow  to  their  reputation  among  their  country- 
men. Besides,  many  of  them  do  believe  in  the  power  they 
claim,  and,  as  we  have  found  before  now  in  India,  fanatics 
are  always  formidable." 

After  taking  a  look  round  with  the  colonel,  the  general  ac- 
companied him  to  his  quarters,  while  the  two  aides-de-camp 


138  ON    THE    IRRAWADDY 

remained  on  the  terrace  chatting  with  the  officers,  and  then, 
after  a  time,  went  with  some  of  them  to  the  mess-tent,  where 
they  sat  smoking  and  talking  until  midnight,  when  all 
went  out.  The  troops  were  formed  up  under  arms,  and  all 
listened  impatiently  for  something  that  would  show  that  the 
long-delayed  assault  would  take  place  that  night.  At  half-past 
twelve  there  was  the  sound  of  a  shot,  which  sent  an  electrical 
thrill  through  the  troops.  It  was  followed  almost  immediately 
by  others.  The  troops  were  at  once  marched  forward  to  the 
edge  of  the  platform.  A  babel  of  wild  shouts  went  up  at  the 
sound  of  the  first  shots,  followed  by  a  burst  of  firing. 

The  two  aides-de-camp  had  taken  their  places  close  to  the 
general,  who  was  standing  in  the  gap  between  the  infantry 
and  the  guns,  and  was  looking  intently  through  his  night- 
glasses  at  the  forest. 

"They  are  in  a  dense  mass,"  he  said;  "I  cannot  see 
whether  they  are  in  any  regular  order,  but  they  are  certainly 
packed  a  great  deal  closer  than  I  have  ever  before  seen  them. 
Those  in  front  have  got  lanterns.  They  are  coming  along 
fast." 

As  yet  the  enemy  were  half  a  mile  away,  but  the  lanterns 
and  the  flash  of  their  guns  showed  their  exact  position,  while 
the  fire  of  the  outposts  was  kept  up  steadily.  As  the  latter 
fell  back  along  the  causeway  the  interval  between  the  two 
forces  decreased,  and  then  the  fire  of  the  outposts  ceased  as, 
in  accordance  with  their  orders,  they  broke  into  the  double. 
The  uproar  of  the  advancing  crowd  was  prodigious.  Every 
man  was  yelling,  at  the  top  of  his  voice,  imprecations  upon 
the  defenders  of  the  pagoda,  who  were  standing  in  absolute 
silence  waiting  eagerly  for  the  word  of  command.  Suddenly 
the  firing  broke  out  again  at  the  foot  of  the  hill,  and  imme- 
diately a  bright  light  shot  up  from  its  face.  The  edge  of  the 
dense  mass  of  Burmese  was  now  but  some  fifty  yards  from  the 


THE    BURMESE    MADE   A    GREAT    EFFORT   TO   CAPTURE    PAGOPA-HILL, 


THE    PAGODA  139 

wall  that  surrounded  the  foot  of  the  hill,  and  the  causeway 
behind  was  occupied  by  a  solid  mass  of  men.  Then  came 
the  sharp  order  to  the  artillerymen,  and  gun  after  gun  poured 
its  charge  of  grape  into  the  crowd,  while  at  the  same  moment 
the  infantry  began  to  fire  by  companies  in  steady  volleys. 

-  For  an  instant  the  din  of  the  assailants  was  silenced,  then, 
their  shouts  rose  again,  and  after  a  moment's  hesitation  they 
continued  their  advance.  But  not  for  long ;  none  but  the 
most  disciplined  soldiers  could  have  advanced  under  that 
storm  of  grape  and  bullets,  and  in  ten  minutes  they  fled  in 
wild  confusion,  leaving  the  causeway  thickly  covered  with 
the  dead.  Again  and  again  the  British  cheers  rose  loud  and 
triumphant,  then  the  infantry  were  told  to  fall  out,  but  the 
guns  continued  their  fire  until  the  fugitives  were  well  in 
the  forest.  Between  the  shots  the  general  listened  attentive- 
ly, and  examined  the  country  towards  the  town  through  his 
glasses. 

"Everything  is  quiet,"  he  said.  "It  is  probable  that  if 
those  fellows  had  carried  the  hill  they  would  have  made  a 
signal,  and  there  might  have  been  a  general  attack.  As  it  is, 
the  affair  is  over  for  the  night,  and  the  Invulnerables  will  have 
some  difficulty  in  accounting  for  their  failure  and  loss.  Now, 
gentlemen,  we  may  as  well  have  up  the  horses,  and  ride  back. 
We  hardly  expected  to  get  away  as  soon  as  this. ' ' 

'•Well,  Meinik,  what  do  you  think  of  your  Invulnerables 
now?"  Stanley  said,  as  the  Burman,  after  picketing  his 
horse,  came  up  to  his  room  to  see  if  he  wanted  anything  before 
lying  down  on  his  bed  in  the  passage. 

"I  don't  know,"  the  Burman  replied  gravely.  "They 
may  be  holy  men,  and  proof  perhaps  against  native  weapons, 
but  they  are  no  good  against  your  cannon  and  muskets.  I 
understand  now  how  it  is  that  you  beat  us  so  easily.  Your 
men  all  stood  quiet  and  in  order ;  one  only  heard  the  voices 


140  ON    THE    IRRAWADDY 

of  the  officers,  and  the  crash  as  they  fired  together.  Then, 
your  guns  are  terrible.  I  have  seen  ours  firing,  but  though 
our  pieces  are  smaller  than  yours,  your  men  fire  five  shots  to 
our  one.  I  stood  by  while  they  were  loading.  It  was  won- 
derful. Nobody  talked,  and  nobody  gave  orders ;  each  man 
knew  what  he  had  to  do — one  did  something,  and  directly  an- 
other did  something  ;  and  almost  before  the  smoke  of  the 
last  shot  was  out  of  the  gun,  it  was  ready  to  be  fired  again. 
It  is  clear  to  me  that  we  have  not  learnt  how  to  fight,  and  that 
your  way  of  having  only  a  few  men,  well  taught  and  knowing 
exactly  what  they  have  to  do,  is  better  than  ours  of  having 
great  numbers,  and  letting  everyone  fight  as  he  pleases.  It  is 
bad  every  way.  The  brave  men  get  to  the  front  and  are 
killed,  and  then  the  others  run  away.  You  were  right.  We 
shall  never  turn  you  out  of  Rangoon  till  Bandoola  comes. 
He  has  all  our  best  troops  with  him,  and  he  has  never  been 
beaten.  All  the  troops  know  him,  and  will  fight  for  him  as 
they  will  not  fight  for  these  princes,  who  know  nothing  of 
war,  and  are  chosen  only  because  they  are  the  king's  broth- 
ers.    When  he  comes,  you  will  see." 

"  No  doubt  we  shall,  Meinik;  and  you  will  see  that  al- 
though they  may  make  a  better  fight  of  it  than  they  have 
done  to-night,  it  will  be  just  the  same  in  the  end." 

For  the  next  two  months  the  time  passed  slowly.  No  at- 
tacks were  made  by  the  enemy  after  the  defeat  of  the  assault 
upon  the  pagoda.  Peasants  and  deserters  who  came  in  re- 
ported that  there  was  profound  depression  among  the  Burmese 
troops.  Great  numbers  had  left  the  colours,  and  there  was  no 
talk  of  another  attack.  The  troops  being  therefore  relieved 
of  much  of  their  arduous  night  duty,  the  English  took  the  of- 
fensive. The  stockades  on  the  Dalla  river,  and  those  upon 
the  Panlang  branch,  the  principal  passage  into  the  main 
stream   of  the   Irrawaddy,  were  attacked   and   carried,    the 


THE    PAGODA  l-il 

enemy  suffering  heavily,  and   many  pieces  of  artillery  being 
captured. 

The  rains  continued  almost  unceasingly,  and  the  troops 
suffered  terribly  in  health.  Scarce  three  thousand  remained 
fit  for  duty,  and  the  greater  portion  of  these  were  so  emaci- 
ated and  exhausted  by  the  effects  of  the  climate  that  they 
were  altogether  unfit  for  active  operations.  Three  weeks  after 
the  fight  at  the  pagoda  a  vessel  came  up  the  river  with  a  letter 
from  the  officer  in  command  of  the  troops  assembled  to  bar 
the  advance  of  Bandoola  against  Chittagong,  saying  that  the 
Burmese  army  had  mysteriously  disappeared.  It  had  gone  off 
at  night  so  quietly  and  silently  that  our  outposts,  which  were 
but  a  short  distance  from  it,  heard  no  sign  or  movement  what- 
ever. The  Burmese  had  taken  with  them  their  sick,  tents, 
and  stores,  and  nothing  but  a  large  quantity  of  grain  had  been 
found  in  their  deserted  stockades. 

The  news  was  received  with  satisfaction  by  the  troops. 
There  was  little  doubt  that  the  court  of  Ava,  finding  that  their 
generals  had  all  failed  in  making  the  slightest  impression  upon 
our  lines,  and  had  lost  vast  numbers  of  men,  had  at  last 
turned  to  the  leader  who  had  conquered  province  after  prov- 
ince for  it,  and  had  sent  him  orders  to  march  with  his  whole 
army  to  bring  the  struggle  to  a  close.  The  soldiers  rejoiced 
at  the  thought  that  they  were  at  last  to  meet  a  real  Burmese 
army.  Hitherto  they  had  generally  stood  on  the  defensive, 
and  had  to  fight  the  climate  rather  than  the  foe,  and  it 
seemed  to  them  that  the  campaign  was  likely  to  be  inter- 
minable. 

The  march  of  the  Burmese  from  Ramoo  to  Sembeughewn, 
the  nearest  point  of  the  river  to  the  former  town,  must  have 
been  a  terrible  one.  The  distance  was  over  two  hundred 
miles,  the  rains  were  ceaseless,  and  the  country  covered  with 
jungles  and  marshes,  and  intersected  by  rivers.     No  other 


142  ON    THE    IRRAWADDY 

army  could  have  accomplished  such  a  feat.  The  Burmans, 
however,  accustomed  to  the  unhealthy  climate,  lightly  clad, 
and  carrying  no  weight  save  their  arms  and  sixteen  days'  sup- 
ply of  rice,  passed  rapidly  over  it. 

Every  man  was  accustomed  to  the  use  of  an  axe  and  to  the 
formation  of  rafts,  and  in  an  incredibly  short  time  rivers  were 
crossed,  deep  swamps  traversed  on  roads  made  by  closely- 
packed  faggots  ;  and  but  a  few  days  after  hearing  that  Bandoola 
had  started,  the  general  learned  from  peasants  that  the  news 
had  come  down  that  he  and  a  portion  of  his  army  had  ar- 
rived at  Sembeughewn.  Almost  at  the  same  time  other  parties 
who  travelled  down  along  the  coast  reached  Donabew,  a 
town  on  the  Irrawaddy,  some  forty  miles  in  direct  line  from 
Rangoon.  This  had  been  named  as  the  rendezvous  of  the 
new  army,  and  to  this  a  considerable  proportion  of  Bandoola's 
force  made  their  way  direct  from  Ramoo,  it  being  the  cus- 
tom of  the  Burmese  to  move,  when  on  a  march  through  a 
country  where  no  opposition  was  to  be  looked  for,  in  separate 
detachments,  each  under  its  own  leader,  choosing  its  own  way, 
and  making  for  a  general  rendezvous. 

Travelling  in  this  manner  they  performed  the  journey  far 
more  rapidly  than  they  could  have  done  moving  in  one  body, 
and  could  better  find  shelter  and  food.  Other  forces  from 
Prome,  Tannoo,  and  other  quarters  were  known  to  be  march- 
ing towards  Donabew.  It  was  soon  reported  that  the  de- 
jected forces  around  Rangoon  had  gained  courage  and  con- 
fidence at  the  news  that  Bandoola  and  his  army  were  coming 
to  their  aid,  and  that  the  deserters  were  returning  in  large 
numbers  from  their  villages.  The  British  sick  were  sent  away 
in  the  shipping  to  Mergy  and  Tavoy,  two  coast  towns  of 
which  we  had  taken  possession,  and  both  of  which  were  health- 
ily situated. 

The  change  had  a  marvellous  effect,  and  men  who  would 


VICTORIES  143 

have  speedily  succumbed  to  the  poisonous  exhalations  of  the 
swamps  round  Rangoon,  rapidly  regained  their  strength  in 
their  new  quarters. 


CHAPTER   IX 


VICTORIES 


IN  the  meantime  negotiations  had  been  going  on  with  Siam, 
between  which  state  and  Burma  there  was  the  bitterest  en- 
mity. It  had  been  thought  that  Siam  would  have  willingly 
grasped  the  opportunity  to  revenge  itself  for  the  many  losses 
of  territory  that  it  had  suffered  at  the  hands  of  Burma.  This 
there  was  no  doubt  that  it  would  have  been  glad  to  do,  but 
our  occupation  of  several  points  on  the  coast  of  Tenasserim 
roused  the  fears  of  Siam,  and  inclined  it  to  the  belief  that  we 
might  prove  an  even  more  dangerous  neighbour  than  Burma. 
The  court  of  Ava  had  on  its  part  also  sent  urgent  messages 
to  the  King  of  Siam  when  misfortunes  had  to  some  extent  low- 
ered its  pride,  calling  upon  him  to  make  common  cause 
with  Burma,  and  to  join  it  in  repelling  an  enemy  who  would 
doubtless  be  as  dangerous  to  him  as  to  Burma.  Siam,  how- 
ever, determined  to  steer  a  middle  course.  An  army  was  as- 
sembled in  readiness  for  any  contingency,  but  Siam  believed 
as  little  as  Burma  itself  that  the  British  could  possibly  be  vic- 
torious over  that  power,  and  feared  its  vengeance  if  she  were 
to  ally  herself  with  us  ;  while  upon  the  other  hand,  Siam  had 
a  long  sea  coast,  and  feared  the  injury  our  fleet  might  inflict 
upon  it  were  it  to  join  Burma.  The  king,  therefore,  gave 
both  powers  an  assurance  of  his  friendship,  and  marched  his 
army  down  to  the  frontier  of  the  province  of  Martaban,  whicb 


144  ON    THE    IRRAWADDY 

bordered  on  the  great  Salween  river  on  the  Tenasserim  coast, 
and  lay  some  two  hundred  miles  from  Rangoon  across  the 
gulf  of  Martaban.  The  intentions  of  the  king  being  so  doubt- 
ful, the  advance  of  the  Siamese  army  in  this  direction  could 
not  be  regarded  with  indifference  by  the  British.  The  town 
of  Martaban  was  the  centre  of  the  Burmese  military  power  in 
Tenasserim,  and  the  advance  towards  it  of  the  Siamese  army 
would  place  it  in  direct  communication  with  that  of  Burma. 
On  the  13th  of  October,  therefore,  a  force,  consisting  of  a 
wing  of  the  41st  Regiment  and  the  3d  Madras  Infantry,  sailed 
from  Rangoon  against  the  town.  The  expedition  was  delayed 
by  light  winds,  and  when  it  arrived  at  the  mouth  of  the  river 
found  that  every  preparation  had  been  made  for  an  obstinate 
defence.  They  learned  from  a  peasant  that  strong  works  had 
been  erected  on  every  eminence  round  the  town,  and  that  the 
road  from  the  coast  had  been  cut  and  stockaded. 

Approach  by  this  route  was  impossible,  for  there  were 
twenty  miles  of  country  to  be  traversed,  and  much  of  this  was 
under  water  from  the  inundations.  It  was,  therefore,  deter- 
mined to  go  up  the  river,  although  this  was  so  shallow  and 
full  of  shoals  that  the  navigation  was  extremely  difficult.  At 
last,  after  great  labour,  incurred  by  the  ships  constantly  get- 
ting ashore,  they  succeeded  in  making  their  way  up  to  Marta- 
ban, and  anchored  off  the  town.  A  heavy  cannonade  was  car- 
ried on  for  some  time  between  the  ships  and  the  enemy's 
works,  then  the  troops  were  embarked  in  boats,  which  rowed 
for  the  shore  under  a  very  heavy  fire  from  the  enemy.  As 
soon  as  they  landed,  and  advanced  to  attack  the  stockades, 
the  Burmese  lost  heart  and  hastily  retreated,  while  the  inhab- 
itants received  the  troops  as  they  entered  with  the  warmest 
welcome,  for  they  were  for  the  most  part  natives  of  Pegu,  and 
still  entertained  a  deep  hatred  for  the  Burmese  because  of  the 
long  oppression  that  they  had  suffered  at  their  hands.   Through 


VICTORIES  145 

out  the  rest  of  Tenasserim,  however,  and  indeed  throughout 
the  whole  country  traversed  by  the  troops  later  on,  the  inhab- 
itants appeared  to  have  entirely  forgotten  their  ancient  nation- 
ality and  the  conquest  of  their  country  by  the  Burmans,  and 
to  have  become  completely  absorbed  by  them.  Throughout 
the  whole  time  that  we  occupied  Martaban  the  people  gave  no 
trouble  whatever,  and  indeed  offered  to  raise  a  force  for  ser- 
vice with  us  if  we  wished  it. 

At  the  end  of  October  the  rain  ceased,  to  the  intense  de- 
light of  the  troops,  and  the  cold  season  set  in.  November 
was,  however,  an  exceptionally  deadly  month,  the  occasional 
days  of  fine  weather  drawing  up  the  exhalations  from  the 
swamps,  and  the  number  of  deaths  was  greater  than  they  had 
been  at  any  previous  time.  There  was,  too,  no  prospect  of  a 
forward  movement  at  present.  The  expedition  had  come  un- 
provided with  boats  or  other  means  of  transport,  making  sure 
that  an  abundant  supply  would  be  obtained  in  a  country 
where  the  whole  trade  was  carried  on  by  the  rivers.  The 
promptness  with  which  the  native  authorities  had,  on  the  first 
appearance  of  the  fleet,  sent  every  boat  away,  had  disap- 
pointed this  anticipation,  and  although  the  opening  of  some 
of  the  other  rivers  had  enabled  the  local  fishermen  to  bring 
their  boats  to  Rangoon,  where  fish  were  eagerly  purchased, 
the  British  troops  were  still,  up  to  the  end  of  November, 
without  the  means  of  sending  a  hundred  men  up  the  river  save 
in  the  boats  of  the  fleet.  The  Indian  authorities,  believing 
that  when  the  Burmese  found  themselves  impotent  to  turn  us 
out  of  Rangoon,  the  court  of  Ava  would  be  glad  to  negotiate, 
had  not  until  the  autumn  was  drawing  to  a  close  thought  of 
making  any  preparations  to  supply  the  army  with  water-car- 
riage.    They  now,  however,  began  to  bestir  themselves. 

Five  hundred  boatmen  were  sent  from  Chittagong,  bring- 
ing many  boats  down  with  them,  and  building  others  at  Ran- 


146  ON    THE    IRRAWADDY 

goon.  Transports  with  draft  cattle  sailed  from  Bengal,  and  a 
considerable  reinforcement  of  troops  was  on  its  way  to  join  at 
the  end  of  December,  for  all  the  natives  agreed  that  no  move- 
ment could  be  made  by  land  until  the  end  of  January.  In 
November,  even  Bandoola's  army  was  obliged  to  make  its  ap- 
proach by  water.  Early  in  that  month  it  was  learned  that 
the  Burmese  general  had  given  orders  for  the  advance,  and 
preparations  were  at  once  begun  to  meet  what  none  doubted 
would  be  a  very  serious  attack.  The  reinforcements  had  not 
yet  arrived,  and  the  greatly  diminished  force  was  far  too  small 
for  the  length  of  the  line  that  had  to  be  defended.  Redoubts 
were  therefore  thrown  up,  pagodas  and  other  buildings  were 
fortified,  and  two  complete  lines  of  works  constructed  from 
the  great  pagoda  to  the  city,  one  facing  east  and  the  other 
west.  The  post  at  Kemmendine  was  strengthened,  and  was 
supported  by  H.  M.  sloop  Sophie,  a  company's  cruiser,  and 
a  strong  division  of  gun-boats.  The  retention  of  this  post 
was  of  great  importance,  as  it  barred  the  river  approach  to 
Rangoon,  and  prevented  the  enemy  sending  down  a  huge  fleet 
of  war-galleys  and  fire-rafts  to  attack  the  town  and  set  fire  to 
the  merchant  shipping  lying  off  it. 

In  the  last  week  of  November,  smoke  was  seen  to  rise 
from  many  points  in  the  forest.  Many  fugitives  came  in 
from  their  villages,  and  reported  that  Bandoola's  army  were 
all  on  their  way  down  the  river,  and  by  the  end  of  the  month 
some  sixty  thousand  men,  with  a  large  train  of  artillery  and 
a  body  of  cavalry,  were  assembled  round  our  position.  Of 
this  force,  thirty  thousand  were  armed  with  muskets.  They 
had  with  them,  too,  a  great  number  of  jingals ;  these  little 
guns  carried  ball  of  from  six  to  twelve  ounces,  and  were 
mounted  on  a  light  carriage,  which  two  men  could  wheel  with 
ease;  the  cannon  were  carried  to  the  scene  of  action  on 
elephants.     The  cavalry  were  seven  hundred  strong,  drawn 


VICTORIES  147 

from  the  borders  of  Manipur.  The  rest  of  the  army  were 
armed  with  swords  and  spears,  and  carried  implements  for 
stockading  and  entrenching.  The  force  was  accompanied  by 
a  number  of  astrologers,  and  by  the  Invulnerables,  who  had 
doubtless  satisfactorily  explained  their  failure  to  capture  the 
pagoda. 

A  great  semicircle  of  light  smoke  rising  from  the  trees 
showed  that  the  position  taken  up  by  Bandoola  extended  from 
the  river  above  Kemmendine  to  the  neighbourhood  of  Ran- 
goon. On  the  night  of  the  31st,  the  troops  at  the  pagoda 
heard  a  loud  and  continuous  stir  in  the  forest.  It  gradually 
approached,  and  by  morning  great  masses  of  troops  had 
gathered  at  the  edge  of  the  jungle  within  musket-shot  of  the 
post.  The  garrison  there  were  drawn  up  in  readiness  to 
repel  a  sudden  rush,  but  just  as  the  sun  rose,  a  din  made  by 
thousands  of  men  engaged  in  cutting  down  the  trees  began, 
and  it  was  evident  that  the  Burmese  were  going  to  adopt 
their  usual  plan  of  entrenching  themselves  behind  stockades. 

During  the  time  that  had  elapsed  between  the  repulse  of 
the  Invulnerables  and  the  arrival  of  Bandoola's  army,  Stanley's 
work  was  light  and  the  life  dull  and  monotonous.  An  hour 
was  spent  every  morning  in  examining  the  fugitives  who  had, 
by  the  retreat  of  the  Burmese,  been  enabled  to  make  their 
way  back  to  the  town,  and  of  women  who  had  escaped  from 
the  vigilance  of  the  Burmese  police,  and  had  come  in  from 
the  villages  where  they  had  been  held  as  hostages  for  their 
husbands. 

Once  or  twice  a  week  he  went  off  with  the  general  to 
the  hospital  -  ship  to  inquire  into  the  state  of  the  sick  and 
to  pay  a  visit  to  the  long  line  of  cots  along  the  main  and 
lower  deck.  Almost  every  day  he  rode,  in  spite  of  the 
weather,  to  one  or  other  of  the  regimental  camps,  and  soon 
came  to  know    most  of  the  officers  of  the  force.      His  pre- 


148  ON    THE    IRRAWADDY 

vious  experience  on  the  rivers  had  done  much  to  acclimatise 
him.  and  his  health  continued  good.  On  the  evening  of  the 
30th  he  had,  at  the  general's  order,  ridden  up  to  the  pagoda. 
It  was  considered  likely  that  the  attack  would  be  delivered 
there  in  the  first  place;  and  at  three  o'clock  in  the  morn- 
ing, when  it  became  evident  that  a  large  body  of  men  were 
approaching  through  the  forest,  he  galloped  back  to  Rangoon 
with  the  news,  and  at  five  rode  out  again  with  Sir  A.  Camp- 
bell. Among  the  garrison  there  was  much  disappointment 
when  the  sound  of  wood-chopping  announced  that  the  Bur- 
mese did  not  intend  to  attack ;  but  the  general,  who  had 
been  watching  the  edge  of  the  jungle  through  his  glasses, 
lowered  them  and  put  them  into  their  case  with  an  expres- 
sion of  satisfaction. 

"I  don't  want  them  to  attack,  Colonel,"  he  said.  ''If 
they  do,  and  we  beat  them  off,  we  are  no  nearer  the  end 
than  before.  That  sort  of  thing  might  be  carried  on  for 
months,  as  long,  in  fact,  as  there  remains  a  man  to  bring  up. 
What  we  want  is  to  inflict  such  a  heavy  blow  upon  them 
that  even  the  court  at  Ava  may  become  convinced  that  they 
cannot  hope  to  drive  us  out  of  Rangoon ;  in  which  case 
they  may  consent  to  negotiate,  and  we  may  bring  the  war  to 
an  end.  Heaven  knows  that  we  have  suffered  enough  loss  at 
present,  and  I  don't  want  to  have  to  undertake  such  a  dif- 
ficult operation  as  an  advance  against  Ava.  I  am  glad  to 
see  that  they  have  begun  to  construct  stockades.  I  do  not 
intend  to  interfere  until  they  have  completely  finished  their 
work,  and  gained  sufficient  confidence  to  make  a  general 
attack  on  us ;  then  we  shall  be  able  to  give  them  a  heavy 
lesson.     Ah,  there  they  are  at  work  !  " 

As  he  spoke  a  roar  of  musketry  and  artillery  broke  out  sud- 
denly from  Kemmendine,  and  all  eyes  were  turned  in  that 
direction.     The  spot  was  two  miles  distant,  but  the  forest 


VICTORIES  149 

shut  out  alike  the  view  of  the  river  and  of  the  works  held  by 
us.  The  exact  position,  however,  was  indicated  by  the  masts 
of  the  two  war  vessels  rising  above  the  trees.  Soon  great 
wreaths  of  heavy  white  smoke  rose  above  the  forest  in  and 
around  Kemmendine,  shutting  out  all  view.  The  fire  con- 
tinued without  abatement,  and  it  was  evident  that  the  attack 
was  a  hot  and  determined  one.  Confident  as  all  felt  that 
the  little  fort  would  be  able  to  defend  itself  successfully,  the 
great  smoke  clouds  were  watched  with  some  feeling  of  anx- 
iety, for  the  garrison  was,  after  all,  but  a  handful.  In  mo- 
mentary intervals  of  the  firing  the  yells  and  shouts  of  the  na- 
tives could  be  distinctly  heard,  and  once  or  twice,  after  a  heavy 
broadside  from  the  ships  of  war,  the  cheers  of  the  British 
sailors  could  be  plainly  recognized.  After  two  hours'  fighting 
the  din  gradually  ceased  ;  the  clouds  of  smoke  rolled  away, 
and  the  masts  of  the  ships  became  visible,  and  the  garrison  of 
the  pagoda  raised  three  hearty  cheers  to  tell  the  defenders  that 
their  successful  defence  had  been  watched  and  welcomed. 

Presently  some  heavy  columns  of  the  enemy  issued  from  the 
forest  on  the  other  side  of  the  river  and  marched  across  the 
plain  to  Dalla,  which  faced  Rangoon.  They  moved  with 
great  regularity  and  order,  led  by  their  chiefs  on  horseback, 
their  gilded  umbrellas  glittering  in  the  rays  of  the  sun.  On 
reaching  the  bank  of  the  river  opposite  Rangoon  they  began 
entrenching  themselves  and  throwing  up  stockades  and  bat- 
teries with  the  evident  intention  of  opening  fire  on  the  ship- 
ping. Soon  afterwards  large  bodies  of  men  issued  from  the 
forest  facing  the  pagoda,  and  marching  along  a  slight  ridge 
that  extended  from  that  point  to  the  creek  below  Rangoon, 
took  up  their  position  there,  and  began  entrenching  them- 
selves all  along  the  line.  Thus  the  British  position  was  now 
completely  surrounded ;  there  was,  however,  no  doubt  that 
the  main  body  of  the  enemy  was  still  facing  the  pagoda. 


150  ON    THE    IRRAWADDY 

"We  must  see  what  they  are  doing,"  the  general  said. 
"  This  is  too  important  a  point  for  us  to  allow  them  to  erect  a 
strongly  fortified  position  close  at  hand." 

Accordingly,  Tollemache  was  sent  down  with  an  order  to 
the  1 8th  Madras  Infantry,  supported  by  a  detachment  of  the 
13th  Regiment  under  Major  Sale,  to  advance  against  the 
enemy  in  the  jungle.  The  movements  of  this  force  were 
eagerly  watched  from  the  terrace  of  the  pagoda.  At  a  rapid 
pace  they  crossed  the  intervening  ground,  and  a  rattle  of 
musketry  broke  out  from  the  jungle  as  they  approached.  The 
British  made  no  response,  but  charged  with  a  cheer  and  were 
soon  lost  to  sight  in  the  trees.  Their  regular  volleys  could  be 
heard  at  short  intervals  above  the  scattered  rattle  of  the  Bur- 
mese musketeers,  and  their  cheers  frequently  rose  loud  and 
triumphant.  In  half  an  hour  the  red  line  emerged  again  from 
the  jungle,  having  destroyed  the  stockades  the  Burmese  had 
erected,  captured  several  guns,  a  quantity  of  muskets  and  en- 
trenching tools  thrown  away  by  the  Burmese,  and  killed  a 
large  number  of  the  enemy. 

During  the  day  the  enemy  made  repeated  efforts  to  send 
fire-rafts  down  the  river  from  above  Kemmendine.  These 
rafts  were  constructed  of  bamboos,  upon  which  were  placed 
great  numbers  of  earthenware  pots  filled  with  petroleum. 
These  rafts  were  skilfully  constructed,  and  made  in  sections, 
so  that  when  they  drifted  against  an  anchor-chain  they  would 
divide,  those  on  each  side  swinging  round,  so  as  to  envelop 
the  ship  on  both  sides  with  fire.  The  sailors  from  the  sloops 
and  gun -boats  rowed  up  to  meet  the  rafts,  and  although  a 
heavy  fire  was  kept  up  by  the  enemy  from  the  jungles  lining 
the  banks,  they  succeeded  in  towing  most  of  them  safely  to 
shore,  while  the  rest  grounded  on  a  projecting  spit  off  Kem- 
mendine. 

So  diligently  did  the  Burmese  work  at  all  points  through- 


VICTORIES  151 

out  the  day  that  by  the  afternoon  their  whole  line  of  cir- 
cumvallation  was  covered  with  earth-works,  behind  which 
they  lay  entirely  hidden  from  sight. 

' '  If  they  could  fight  as  well  as  they  dig  and  build  stock- 
ades," Sir  A.  Campbell  remarked,  "  they  would  be  one  of 
the  most  formidable  enemies  in  the  world.  No  European 
army  ever  accomplished  the  work  of  entrenching  themselves 
so  speedily  as  they  have  done.  Their  arrangements  have 
been  admirable  ;  everything  has  been  done  without  confusion, 
and  each  body  has  taken  up  the  position  allotted  to  it,  as  is 
evident  by  the  fact  that  there  is  no  gap  in  their  lines.  As  to 
Bandoola's  tactics,  I  cannot  say  so  much  for  them.  In  the 
first  place,  he  has  divided  his  force  into  two  parts,  separated 
by  a  river,  and  incapable  of  helping  each  other.  In  the  next 
place,  great  as  are  his  numbers,  his  lines  are  far  too  extended. 
Well,  we  will  let  them  go  on  for  a  time,  and  then  show 
.them  the  mistake  that  they  have  committed." 

Major  Sale's  reports  of  the  entrenchments  were,  that  they 
consisted  of  a  long  line  of  holes,  each  capable  of  containing 
two  men.  The  earth  was  dug  out  on  one  side  so  as  to  form 
a  sort  of  cave.  In  this  was  a  bed  of  straw  or  brushwood,  on 
which  one  man  could  sleep  while  the  other  watched.  Each 
hole  contained  a  sufficient  supply  of  rice,  water,  and  even  fuel 
for  its  inmates.  One  line  of  these  holes  had  been  completed 
and  another  was  being  dug  a  short  distance  in  advance.  The 
Burmese  do  not  relieve  their  men  in  the  trenches ;  those  who 
occupy  the  line  first  made  remain  there ;  fresh  men  dig  and 
occupy  the  next  line,  and  so  the  advance  is  continued  until 
close  to  the  work  to  be  attacked.  The  system  has  the  great 
advantage  that  a  shell  falling  into  one  of  these  holes  only  kills 
its  two  occupants  instead  of  destroying  many,  as  it  might  do 
if  it  fell  in  a  continuous  trench. 

In  the  afternoon  the  general  returned  to  Rangoon,  leaving 


152  ON    THE    IRRAWADDY 

Stanley  at  the  pagoda  with  orders  to  ride  down  should  there 
be  any  change  of  importance.  In  the  evening  a  considerable 
force  of  Burmese  issued  from  the  jungle  and  prepared  to  en- 
trench themselves  near  the  north-east  angle  of  the  pagoda  hill. 
Major  Piper  therefore  took  two  companies  of  the  38th,  and, 
descending  the  hill,  drove  the  Burmese  in  confusion  back  to 
the  jungle. 

In  the  morning  it  was  found  that  the  enemy  had  en- 
trenched themselves  upon  some  high  and  open  ground,  within 
musket  -  shot  of  the  north  gate  of  the  pagoda.  It  was 
separated  from  the  gate  by  a  large  tank,  but  as  their  jingals 
and  musketry  were  able  from  the  point  they  occupied  to 
sweep  the  plateau  and  the  huts  occupied  by  the  troops,  a 
party  of  the  38th  and  the  28th  Madras  Infantry  went  out  and 
drove  them  off.  As  soon,  however,  as  our  troops  fell  back 
the  Burmese  reoccupied  the  position,  and  for  the  next  few 
days  a  constant  skirmishing  went  on  at  this  point,  while  an 
artillery  fire  was  maintained  by  the  assailants  and  defenders 
along  the  whole  line  down  to  Rangoon,  and  the  enemy's  bat- 
teries at  Dalla  kept  up  an  incessant  fire  on  the  shipping. 
Kemmendine  was  attacked  time  after  time,  and  many  attempts 
made  to  launch  fire-rafts  down  the  river. 

The  work  was  very  harassing  for  the  troops.  Night  and 
day  they  were  expecting  an  attack  in  force,  and  there  was 
a  general  feeling  of  delight  when,  on  the  evening  of  the  4th, 
orders  were  issued  for  a  general  movement  against  the  enemy. 

The  latter  had  by  this  time  brought  the  greater  portion  of 
their  guns  up  from  the  jungle,  and  placed  them  in  their  en- 
trenchments, and  it  was  therefore  in  the  power  of  the  British 
to  strike  a  heavy  blow.  A  division  of  the  flotilla  of  gun- 
boats was  ordered  up  the  creek  by  the  town.  These  opened 
a  heavy  fire  upon  the  enemy's  flank,  thus  attracting  their 
attention   to  that  point,  and  after  the  cannonade  had  con- 


VICTORIES  153 

tinued  for  some  little  time  the  two  columns  of  attack,  the  one 
eight  hundred  strong,  under  Major  Sale,  the  other  five  hun- 
dred, under  Major  Walker  of  the  Madras  army,  issued  out. 
The  latter  was  to  attack  the  enemy  facing  the  town,  the  for- 
mer to  force  his  way  through  the  centre  of  their  position. 
He  had  with  him  a  troop  of  horse  that  had  landed  only  the 
previous  day.  Major  Walker's  force  was  the  first  to  en- 
counter the  enemy.  Their  resistance  was  for  a  time  obstinate. 
Major  Walker  and  several  other  officers  fell  in  the  attack  on 
the  first  line  of  entrenchments,  but  the  soldiers  carried  it  at 
the  point  of  the  bayonet,  and  as  the  enemy  broke  and  re- 
treated, followed  them  so  hotly  that  the  works  in  the  rear  fell 
into  their  hands  with  but  slight  opposition. 

Major  Sale's  column  now  began  its  attack  on  the  enemy's 
centre.  Here  the  resistance  was  more  feeble,  and,  bursting 
through  the  enemy's  lines,  the  British  drove  them  before 
them  in  headlong  flight.  Then,  turning,  they  swept  along 
the  line  of  entrenchments,  carrying  all  before  them  until 
they  effected  a  junction  with  the  other  column,  which  was 
advancing  to  meet  them.  They  then  drove  the  Burmese 
from  every  part  of  their  works  into  the  jungle,  leaving  the 
ground  behind  them  covered  with  dead  and  wounded. 
Except  at  the  point  first  attacked  by  Major  Walker,  the 
resistance  of  the  Burmese  was  very  feeble,  and  the  British 
loss  inconsiderable,  and  a  large  number  of  guns,  entrench- 
ing tools,  and  muskets  fell  into  the  hands  of  the  victors. 
The  next  day  Bandoola  rallied  the  troops  that  had  been 
driven  from  the  plain,  and  gathered  the  greatest  part  of  his 
force  in  the  forest  round  the  pagoda,  where  they  continued 
to  push  forward  their  works  with  unabated  energy. 

The  British  had  a  day  of  rest  given  them,  and  on  the 
7th  prepared  to  attack  the  enemy  at  this  point.  Four 
columns   of  attack   were  formed,  composed   of  detachments 


154:  ON    THE    IRRAWADDY 

drawn  from  all  the  corps  of  the  army.  In  the  morning  a 
heavy  cannonade  was  opened  upon  the  jungle,  the  artillery 
being  assisted  by  several  heavy  guns,  which  had  with  great 
labour  been  brought  up  by  the  sailors  from  the  ships  to  the 
pagoda.  The  enemy  returned  it  with  a  steady  fire  of  light 
artillery,  jingals,  and  musketry.  While  the  firing  was  still 
going  on  the  four  columns  were  already  in  motion  ;  one  had 
entered  the  jungle  on  the  enemy's  left,  and  another  on  the 
right.  One  of  the  central  columns  advanced  from  the  foot 
of  the  pagoda  hill,  while  the  38th  Regiment  descended  the 
stairs  from  the  north  gate,  and  advanced,  one  wing  on  each 
side  of  the  tank,  against  the  enemy's  entrenchments  on  the 
high  ground.  As  the  four  columns  approached  the  enemy 
our  artillery  fire  ceased.  The  Burmese  appeared  for  a 
moment  bewildered  at  the  sight  of  their  foes  advancing 
against  them  from  so  many  directions,  but  they  soon  opened 
a  very  heavy  fire  upon  the  assailants,  and  kept  it  up  with 
undiminished  steadiness  until  our  troops,  advancing  at  the 
charge,  dashed  into  their  entrenchments,  and  drove  them 
headlong  before  them  into  the  thick  forest  behind,  where 
pursuit,  which  would  at  any  time  have  been  difficult,  was 
now  impossible,  the  troops,  exhausted  by  their  seven  days' 
and  nights'  watching,  being  wholly  incapable  of  following 
their  active  and  lightly-armed  enemies. 

There  now  remained  but  the  force  at  Dalla  to  cope  with, 
and  in  the  evening  a  force  composed  of  the  89th  and  43d 
Madras  Infantry,  under  Colonel  Parlby,  embarked  in  boats. 
The  night  was  dark,  and  the  troops  crossed  unobserved. 
The  alarm  was  not  given  until  the  British  actually  entered 
the  entrenchments  and  opened  fire  upon  the  enemy,  who 
were  sitting,  unsuspicious  of  danger,  round  their  fires. 
Scarcely  any  opposition  was  encountered,  and  the  whole 
of  the  works,   with  the  guns  and  the   stores,  were   soon    in 


VICTORIES  155 

our  hands,  while  the  enemy  were  flying  towards  the  forest. 
In  the  actions  during  these  three  days  the  Burmese  lost 
some  5000  men,  240  pieces  of  artillery  of  every  kind, 
and  a  great  number  of  muskets,  and  vast  supplies  of  am- 
munition, while  the  British  had  but  50  killed  and  300 
wounded. 

Great  numbers  of  Bandoola's  men  never  rejoined  the 
army,  and  the  whole  force  was  dispersed  through  the  coun- 
try. Bandoola  himself  was  retiring  towards  Donabew  with 
but  a  remnant  of  his  army  when  he  met  considerable  rein- 
forcements on  their  way  to  join  him.  During  his  operations 
he  had  left  a  reserve  corps  at  the  village  of  Kokein,  four 
miles  from  the  pagoda,  and  these  had  been  busily  entrench- 
ing the  position,  which  commanded  the  road  leading  from 
Rangoon  to  Donabew.  The  ground  was  elevated,  and  on  his 
arrival  there  Bandoola  set  his  troops,  now  some  25,000  in 
number,  to  aid  in  the  work.  In  a  marvellously  short  time 
the  heights  were  completely  stockaded  with  trunks  of  trees, 
and  with  a  broad,  deep  ditch  in  front.  Beyond  this  were 
lines  of  felled  trees,  their  heads  pointing  outwards  and  each 
branch  sharpened,  forming  a  very  formidable  abattis,  and, 
believing  this  to  be  impregnable,  Bandoola  awaited  the 
attack  of  the  British. 

As  soon  as  his  army  had  been  dispersed  great  numbers 
of  deserters  and  of  the  inhabitants  of  the  villages  poured 
into  Rangoon.  With  the  deserters  were  mingled  a  good 
many  of  the  troops  sent  in  by  Bandoola  himself  with  in- 
structions to  fire  the  town.  In  order  to  lull  the  suspicions 
of  the  British  he  caused  a  report  to  be  spread  that  an  im- 
perial commissioner  from  the  court  of  Ava  would  arrive  in 
the  course  of  a  few  days  to  treat  for  terms  of  peace. 

The  general,  however,  determined  to  attack  Bandoola 
before   the   commissioner    could   arrive,    as   it    was   evident 


156  ON    THE    IRRAWADDY 

that  better  terms  could  be  obtained  after  the  total  disper- 
sion of  the  Burmese,  than  if  their  famous  general  remained, 
with  25,000  men,  in  a  formidable  position  close  at  hand. 
He  was  uneasy  at  the  presence  of  so  large  a  number  of 
natives  in  the  town,  and  the  precautions  that  had  been 
taken  against  fire  some  time  before  were  now  redoubled. 
Were  one  to  break  out  not  only  might  the  whole  of  the 
stores  collected  for  the  advance  of  the  army  be  destroyed, 
but  if  Bandoola  had  his  force  gathered  in  readiness  at  the 
edge  of  the  jungle,  he  might  take  advantage  of  the  con- 
fusion that  would  be  caused  by  the  fire,  and  rush  forward 
to  the  attack  of  the  town.  Numbers  of  troops  and  of  sailors 
from  the  fleet  patrolled  the  streets  in  every  direction  at 
night,  but,  in  spite  of  their  efforts,  a  week  after  the  retreat 
of  Bandoola  the  dreaded  cry  of  fire  was  raised. 

At  a  dozen  points  on  the  windward  side  of  the  town  fires 
had  been  lighted  by  incendiaries,  and  as  there  was  a  brisk 
wind  blowing  the  danger  was  extreme.  The  drums  beat  to 
arms  along  the  whole  of  the  British  lines.  Orders  had 
already  been  issued  as  to  what  was  to  be  done  in  such  an 
emergency,  and  while  a  portion  of  the  troops  lined  the 
trenches,  the  rest  were  marched  at  once  to  the  town  and 
formed  up  between  it  and  the  jungle  to  repel  any  attack 
that  might  be  made  there,  leaving  the  troops  quartered 
in  the  town,  and  the  sailors  of  the  fleet  to  battle  with 
the  flames.  For  a  time  it  seemed  as  if  the  whole  place 
would  be  swept  away,  but  by  levelling  lines  of  huts  and 
beating  out  the  flames  at  the  barrier  so  formed,  their  prog- 
ress was  at  length  checked,  but  not  until  more  than  half 
the  town  had  been  destroyed.  Fortunately  this  was  the 
half  farthest  from  the  river,  and  with  the  exception  of  the 
commissariat  stores  for  the  supply  of  the  troops  of  the 
Madras   Presidency,  the   buildings  containing  the  food,  am- 


VICTORIES  157 

munition,  and  necessaries  for  the  army  escaped  unharmed. 
What  had  happened  once  might,  however,  happen  again  in 
spite  of  all  precautions.  The  general  therefore  determined  to 
attack  Bandoo'la  at  once,  as,  were  his  force  once  scattered, 
the  motive  for  these  incendiary  fires  would  cease  to  operate. 

The  difficulties  were  formidable.  One  or  two  light  field 
pieces  could  at  the  most  be  taken  with  the  column.  They 
would  have  to  march  by  a  narrow  and  winding  footpath 
through  a  thick  forest,  exposed  at  any  moment  to  a  desperate 
attack  by  the  enemy.  Moreover,  it  would  be  necessary  to 
leave  a  strong  force  for  the  defence  of  Rangoon,  as  Bandoola 
would  be  sure  to  learn  from  his  spies  of  the  intended  move- 
ment, and  having  with  him  men  intimately  acquainted  with 
every  forest  track,  could  make  a  rush  down  upon  the  town 
during  the  absence  of  so  many  of  its  defenders. 

The  general  felt  it  imperative,  however,  to  attack  without 
delay,  and  early  on  the  morning  of  the  15th  he  moved  out 
with  a  force  of  1500  men  against  Kokein.  They  marched 
without  molestation  through  the  forest,  and  on  reaching  its 
confines  could  see  the  truly  formidable  nature  of  the  works 
that  they  were  to  attack. 

The  moment  they  issued  from  the  forest  a  dropping  fire 
was  opened  upon  them  by  parties  of  the  enemy  in  flank  and 
rear,  and  no  time  was  lost  in  preparing  for  the  assault. 

The  13th  Light  Infantry  and  the  18th  Madras  with  60  cav- 
alry, under  Brigadier-General  Cotton,  were  ordered  to  move 
round  the  stockade  and  assault  it  on  the  left  rear,  while  the 
rest  of  the  troops,  some  800  strong,  with  100  cavalry  under  the 
general  himself,  were  to  attack  in  front.  The  enemy's  works 
consisted  of  a  central  entrenchment  connected  with  two  large 
entrenched  stockades  on  its  flank,  but  somewhat  advanced  in 
front  of  it.  As  soon  as  the  force  under  General  Cotton  had 
gained  its  position  in  the  rear  of  the  enemy,  a  gun  was  fired, 


158  ON    THE    IRRAWADDY 

and  the  whole  force  moved  forward  to  the  assault.  The  Bur- 
mans  regarded  the  attack  by  so  insignificant  a  force  upon  their 
works  with  such  contempt  that  they  did  not  for  some  time  fire 
a  shot,  but  continued  chanting  a  war-song,  swaying  them- 
selves to  its  cadence,  stamping  and  beating  time  with  their 
hands  on  their  breasts.  This  delay  proved  fatal  to  them. 
When  they  opened  fire  their  assailants  were  already  close  to  the 
ditch,  and  leaping  down  into  this  were  sheltered  from  the  fire 
of  the  defenders.  Scalingdadders  were  speedily  placed,  and 
the  troops  running  up  them,  leaped  down  into  the  entrench- 
ment. 

Astounded  at  this  sudden  entry  into  the  works  they  had 
deemed  impregnable,  the  Burmese  hesitated  ;  and  the  assail- 
ants being  joined  by  their  comrades  from  behind,  rushed  im- 
petuously upon  the  enemy.  The  column  in  the  rear  had 
greater  difficulty,  for  they  had  several  strong  stockades  to 
carry  before  they  reached  the  central  work,  and  lost  four  offi- 
cers, and  eight  men  killed,  and  forty-nine  officers  and  men 
wounded,  in  the  13th  Regiment  alone.  Fifteen  minutes  after 
the  first  shot  was  fired  the  whole  of  the  works  were  in  our  pos- 
session, and  the  Burmese,  who  gathered  in  a  confused  mass, 
had  been  decimated  by  our  volleys.  They  were  now  in  full 
flight,  many  being  cut  down  by  the  cavalry  before  they  reached 
the  shelter  of  the  woods.  The  British  troops  marched  back 
to  Rangoon,  while  the  Burmese  retreated  to  Donabew,  leav- 
ing strong  posts  on  the  two  rivers  leading  in  that  direction. 

Their  retirement  left  it  free  to  the  country  people  to  return 
to  Rangoon,  and  very  large  numbers  came  in,  including  very 
many  of  the  villagers  who  had  been  forced  to  fight  against  us. 
All  had  alike  suffered  from  famine  and  hardship,  even  the 
women  had  been  compelled  to  labour  in  the  work  of  stockad- 
ing, and  the  sufferings  of  all  had  been  terrible.  The  work  of 
rebuilding  the  town  began  at  once,  and  the  wooden  huts  sprang 


VICTORIES  159 

up  with  great  rapidity;  markets  were  opened,  and  in  a  short 
time  supplies  of  fish,  fruit,  game,  and  vegetables  poured  in, 
sufficient  not  only  for  the  native  population,  but  to  effect  a 
most  welcome  change  in  the  diet  of  the  troops.  As  most  of 
the  natives  were  accustomed  to  the  construction  and  manage- 
ment of  boats,  the  work  of  preparing  the  flotilla,  by  which  the 
troops  were  to  proceed  up  the  rivers,  went  on  rapidly,  and 
numbers  of  men  were  hired  as  servants  and  drivers  for  the 
commissariat,  with  which  the  force  was  very  insufficiently  sup- 
plied, as  the  natives  of  India  of  that  class  for  the  most  part 
refused,  on  account  of  their  caste  prejudices,  to  engage  them- 
selves for  service  across  the  sea.  Reinforcements  arrived,  and 
Rangoon,  which  but  six  weeks  before  presented  a  miserable 
and  deserted  appearance,  was  towards  the  beginning  of  Janu- 
ary a  cheerful  and  bustling  town. 

Preparations  were  being  made  in  other  quarters  to  assume 
the  offensive.  Some  3000  men  were  driving  the  Burmese  out 
of  Assam,  and  a  force  7000  strong  was  marching  from  Sylhet 
to  expel  them  from  Cachar  and  capture  Manipur,  while  11,000 
men  were  assembled  at  Chittagong,  and  were  advancing  into 
Aracan  with  the  intention  of  driving  the  Burmese  from  that 
province,  and  they  meant  if  possible  to  cross  the  mountains 
and  effect  a  junction  with  Sir  Archibald  Campbell's  force.  The 
first  part  of  the  operations  were  conducted  with  complete  suc- 
cess, and  Aracan  wrested  from  Burma,  but  it  was  found  im- 
possible to  perform  the  terrible  journey  across  mountain  and 
swamp  or  to  afford  any  aid  to  the  main  expedition. 


100  ON    THE    IRRAWADDY 

CHAPTER   X 

THE     ADVANCE 

WHILE  the  preparations  for  the  advance  were  being  made, 
the  general's  aides-de-camp  had  been  kept  at  work  from 
morning  until  night.  There  were  constant  communications 
between  the  military  and  naval  authorities,  for  the  expedition 
was  to  be  a  mixed  one.  Transports  were  daily  arriving  with 
troops  ands  tores,  innumerable  matters  connected  with  the 
organization,  both  of  the  land  and  water  transport  required 
to  be  arranged,  and  the  general  himself  was  indefatigable  in 
superintending  every  detail  of  the  work.  It  had  been  settled 
that  the  advance  could  not  take  place  until  the  second  week 
in  February,  as  the  roads  would  be  impassable  until  that  time, 
and  the  nth  was  fixed  for  the  commencement  of  operations. 

Upon  the  day  after  his  arrival  at  Rangoon,  Stanley  had 
written  a  letter  to  his  uncle,  giving  him  a  brief  account  of  his 
adventures,  and  stating  that  he  had  been  appointed  one  of  the 
general's  aides-de-camp.  He  said  that  he  should  of  course  be 
guided  by  his  uncle's  wishes,  but  that  now  that  he  had  entered 
on  the  campaign  as  an  officer,  he  should  certainly  like  to  re- 
main till  the  end,  when  he  would  at  once  resign  his  commis- 
sion and  rejoin  him. 

He  sent  this  to  his  uncle's  agent  at  Calcutta,  but  received 
no  answer  until  the  end  of  December.  After  expressing  his 
delight  at  hearing  that  Stanley  had  not,  as  he  had  supposed, 
been  killed  at  Ramoo,  but  was  now  safe  and  well  in  the  Brit- 
ish camp,  he  went  on  : 

"  I  only  received  your  letter  this  morning,  for  I  have  been 
moving  about  from  point  to  point,  and  owing  to  the  falling 


THE    ADVANCE  161 

off  of  trade,  had  no  occasion  to  go  to  Calcutta  until  now,  and 
was  indeed  astounded  at  finding  your  letter  lying  for  me  here, 
as  they  had  not  forwarded  it,  having  no  idea  where  I  was, 
and  knowing  that  the  chance  of  any  letter  sent  on  reaching 
me  was  extremely  small.  By  all  means,  lad,  stop  where  you 
are;  trade  is  improving  again,  for  now  that  Bandoola's  army 
has  marched  away  from  Ramoo,  the  scare  among  the  natives 
has  pretty  well  subsided.  Still,  I  can  manage  very  well  with- 
out yon,  and  it  will  certainly  be  a  great  advantage  to  you  to 
serve  for  a  year  in  the  army  ;  and  to  have  been  one  of  Camp- 
bell's aides-de-camp  will  be  a  feather  in  your  cap,  and  will 
give  you  a  good  position  at  all  the  military  stations.  I  am 
very  glad  now  that  I  abstained  from  writing  to  your  mother 
after  the  battle  at  Ramoo.  I  thought  it  over  and  over,  and 
concluded  that  it  was  just  as  well  to  leave  the  matter  alone 
for  a  time  ;  not  that  I  had  the  slightest  idea,  or  even  a  hope, 
that-  you  were  alive,  but  because  I  thought  that  the  cessation 
of  letters  from  you  would  to  some  extent  prepare  her  mind  for 
the  blow  when  it  came. 

"  It  would  be  very  improbable  that  she  would  see  the  ga- 
zette with  the  list  of  killed  and  wounded  at  Ramoo,  and  even 
if  she  did  so,  she  would  not  associate  the  death  of  Ensign 
Brooke  in  any  way  with  you.  When  we  have  been  trading 
up  country,  there  have  been,  once  or  twice,  no  means  of 
sending  off  a  letter  for  a  couple  of  months,  and  therefore  she 
could  not  have  begun  to  feel  seriously  anxious  about  you  be- 
fore she  received  your  letter  from  Rangoon. 

"  Everyone  says  that  you  will  not  be  able  to  advance  until 
February,  so  that  no  doubt  this  letter  will  reach  you  long  be- 
fore you  leave.  I  hear  the  losses  have  been  very  heavy  from 
fever,  but  I  am  not  anxious  about  you  on  that  score,  for  I 
think  that  you  are  thoroughly  acclimatised.  I  am  trying  to 
get  a  contract  for  the  supply  of  a  couple  of  thousand  bullocks 


162  ON    THE    IRRAWADDY 

for  the  use  of  the  army,  and  as  I  know  all  the  country  so 
well,  from  Chittagong  to  Sylhet,  and  can  buy  below  Indian 
prices,  I  think  that  I  shall  not  only  get  the  contract,  but 
make  a  very  good  thing  of  it,  and  it  may  lead  to  other 
matters. ' ' 

After  this,  Stanley  was  hardly  surprised  when  in  the  last 
week  of  January  his  uncle  walked  into  his  quarters.  After 
the  first  pleasure  of  meeting  was  over,  Stanley  said  : 
"  I  suppose  you  have  got  the  contract,  uncle?  " 
"  I  have,  lad.  I  have  come  down  from  Ramgur  with  six 
dhows  packed  full.  I  have  brought  a  thousand  head  down, 
and  directly  I  land  them  am  going  back  for  the  remainder, 
which  will  be  ready  for  me  by  the  time  I  get  there.  I  have 
got  hold  of  an  uncommonly  good  fellow.  He  was  established 
as  a  small  trader  at  Chittagong.  His  business  was  ruined 
there,  and  he  was  glad  to  accept  my  offer  of  a  berth,  and  he 
has  turned  out  a  very  energetic  and  pushing  fellow  ;  he  will 
come  down  with  the  next  consignment.  I  myself  am  going 
to  work  my  way  up  along  the  edge  of  the  Tipperah  forest, 
and  shall  pick  up  another  thousand  head  by  the  time  that  I 
get  to  the  Goomtee,  and  shall  send  them  by  water  up  to  Syl- 
het, and  then  go  up  by  land,  picking  up  more  on  the  way. 
I  have  a  contract  for  five  thousand,  to  be  sent  in,  a  thousand 
a  month,  for  the  force  that  is  to  move  against  Manipur,  while 
Johnson  is  to  send  another  two  thousand  down  here,  so  you 
see  for  the  present  the  store  business  can  wait.  It  is  a  good 
line  that  I  have  got  into ;  I  shall  make  a  big  profit  out  of  it, 
and  have  hopes  that  it  will  be  to  some  extent  permanent,  for 
I  can  get  the  cattle  so  cheap  in  the  interior,  on  the  rivers  we 
know,  that  I  can  ship  them  to  Calcutta  at  lower  terms  than 
they  can  buy  them  in  India,  and  I  was  as  much  as  told  that  if  I 
carried  out  my  present  contracts  satisfactorily  I  should  get  the 


THE    ADVANCE  163 

supply  of  the  troops  there.  Of  course,  that  would  not  be  a 
very  great  thing  of  itself,  but  as  I  could  work  it  without 
trouble  in  connection  with  my  own  business,  it  would  make  a 
handsome  addition  to  the  profits." 

"  But  how  about  money,  uncle?  " 

"That  is  all  right,  lad.  I  had  no  difficulty  whatever  in 
getting  an  advance  at  Calcutta  on  the  strength  of  my  contract 
and  upon  the  guarantee  of  my  agents,  so  that  I  am  all  right 
in  that  respect." 

"  I  asked,  uncle,  because  I  can  let  you  have  eighteen  hun- 
dred pounds  if  you  want  them." 

Tom  Pearson  looked  at  him  in  astonishment. 

"Why,  what  on  earth  have  you  been  doing — robbing  the 
treasury  of  the  King  of  Ava?  " 

"  No,  uncle.  I  had  a  bag  of  gems  given  me  by  some  Bur- 
mese bandits.  When  I  got  down  here  I  took  a  few  of  them 
to  a  merchant.  He  advanced  fifteen  hundred  rupees  on  them, 
and  sent  them  to  Burragee,  the  jeweller  at  Madras,  and  six 
weeks  afterwards  he  paid  me  another  three  thousand  five  hun- 
dred. I  sent  up  another  batch,  and  last  week  I  got  an  order 
from  the  jewellers  for  fifteen  hundred  pounds,  so  that  I  have 
more  than  eighteen  hundred  in  hand  now,  and  I  don't  think 
that  I  have  sent  more  than  a  third  of  the  gems  away." 

"Well,  that  is  a  piece  of  luck,  Stanley!  Why  on  earth 
did  the  brigands  give  you  the  gems  ?  ' ' 

"  Well,  uncle,  they  are  things  that,  from  what  they  told 
me,  there  is  great  difficulty  and  risk  in  trying  to  dispose  of. 
They  are  a  royal  monopoly,  and  nobody  dare  buy  them  ;  or 
if  they  do  will  give  next  to  nothing  for  them,  because  of  the 
risk  of  the  transaction,  and  because  they  know  that  the  ven- 
dors are  in  a  fix  and  must  sell.  Besides,  there  is  a  strong 
chance  of  their  handing  over  anyone  who  offers  such  things 
to  the  authorities.     That  was  one  reason  why  they  gave  them 


164  ON    THE    IRRAWADDY 

to  me.  Then,  too,  they  had  made  a  good  haul  of  merchan- 
dise which  was  to  them  a  great  deal  more  valuable,  as  there 
was  no  difficulty  in  disposing  of  it.  Lastly,  they  had  taken 
a  fancy  to  me  because  I  saved  one  of  their  comrade's  lives 
— the  man  who  showed  you  up  here. ' ' 

"  Well,  lad,  you  shall  tell  me  all  about  it  this  evening.  I 
must  be  going  down  to  the  commissariat  yard  to  arrange  the 
landing  of  my  beasts.  I  came  straight  to  see  you  directly  I 
landed.     We  dropped  anchor  here  at  daybreak." 

"  I  will  go  with  you,  uncle.  I  will  run  in  and  see  the 
chief  first  and  get  leave  off  for  the  day.  I  have  earned  a 
holiday,  for  I  have  been  at  work  pretty  well  morning,  noon, 
and  night  for  the  last  two  months.  You  see  I  have  not  only 
the  duties  of  aide-de-camp,  but  of  interpreter,  and  have 
helped  both  the  quartermaster's  department  and  the  com- 
missariat in  making  their  arrangements  with  the  natives.  I 
daresay  I  shall  be  able  to  help  to  hurry  your  business  on 
quicker  than  you  would  be  able  to  get  it  done  alone." 

The  general  at  once  granted  Stanley  leave,  and  he  went 
with  his  uncle  down  to  the  commissariat  office  and  introduced 
him  to  the  senior  officer. 

' '  We  shall  be  glad  to  do  all  in  our  power  to  help  you, 
Mr.  Pearson,"  the  officer  said.  "We  have  been  expecting 
your  arrival  for  the  last  week.  Of  course,  we  heard  from 
Calcutta  that  you  had  the  contract  for  two  thousand  head  ; 
at  least  half  of  these  were  to  be  delivered  by  the  tenth  of 
February.  We  were  getting  rather  anxious  about  it.  The 
force  will  probably  want  to  start  before  that  time,  and  we 
shall  have  to  victual  both  the  land  and  water  columns.  Of 
course,  I  did  not  know  that  you  were  a  relation  of  Mr. 
Brooke,  or  I  should  have  mentioned  to  him  that  you  were 
likely  to  come." 

"  I  should  like  to  get  off  as  soon  as  possible,"  Tom  Pear- 


THE    ADVANCE  165 

son  said;  "  for  by  the  time  that  I  get  back  to  Ramgur  the 
rest  of  the  cattle  will  be  in  readiness  for  me." 

"  I  will  write  you  an  order  for  four  large  boats  at  once. 
If  you  had  come  three  weeks  sooner  you  might  have  been 
kept  waiting  some  days  ;  but  such  a  number  of  native  craft 
have  of  late  come  down  the  rivers  that  we  are  enabled  to  get 
sufficient  for  our  work." 

The  officer  gave  him  a  note  to  the  one  in  charge  of  the 
landing  arrangements. 

••It  is  lucky  that  you  have  come  just  at  this  moment," 
the  latter  said.  "  We  have  just  made  our  last  trip  with  the 
baggage  of  the  47th,  and  I  have  six  boats  disengaged.  You 
may  as  well  take  them  all." 

The  craft  in  question  were  some  of  those  that  had  been 
captured — unwieldy  craft,  that  took  fish  and  salt  up  the 
river.  They  were  almost  as  large  as  the  dhows  in  which 
the  cattle  had  been  brought  down,  but  drew  very  much 
less  water.  They  were  towed  off  to  the  dhows,  one  by  one, 
by  two  captured  war -canoes,  each  having  thirty  rowers. 
One  was  taken  to  each  dhow,  and  the  work  of  transhipping 
the  cattle  began  at  once.  These  were  in  good  condition, 
for  although  closely  packed  they  had  been  well  supplied  with 
food  and  water  on  the  way  down,  and  a  herdsman  with  four 
men  under  him  had  been  sent  in  each  boat  to  take  care 
of  them,  as  Tom  Pearson  was  very  anxious  that  his  first 
consignment  should  be  reported  upon  favourably.  The  ani- 
mals were  all  landed  in  the  course  of  the  afternoon,  and  with 
the  acknowledgment  of  their  receipt  in  excellent  order,  in  his 
pocket,  the  contractor  went  off  again  with  Stanley  to  his 
own  dhow. 

"  I  have  told  them  to  have  everything  in  readiness  to 
drop  down  the  river  with  the  tide  to-morrow  morning.  It 
will  turn   just    about    sunrise.     That  is  a  rare  bit  of   busi- 


166  ON    THE    IRRAWADDY 

ness,  Stanley ;  and  I  doubt  if  a  contractor  ever  got  his  work 
through  so  quickly  before.  Of  course  it  is  principally  due 
to  you ;  they  would  never  have  pushed  things  through  so 
quickly  had  you  not  gone  with  me.  I  thought  that  very 
likely  I  might  be  detained  here  a  week  before  I  could  get 
all  the  cattle  on  shore — and  by  that  time,  if  all  goes  well, 
I  shall  be  at  Ramgur  again.  Now  we  can  have  a  comfortable 
evening's  talk,  which  is  very  much  better  than  my  going  to 
dine  with  you  at  mess,  for  there  is  a  great  deal  to  hear  about, 
and  I  daresay  that  I  can  give  you  as  good  a  dinner  as  we 
should  have  had  on  shore." 

"  A  good  deal  better,"  Stanley  said.  "  Things  have  im- 
proved immensely  during  the  last  month,  still  our  mess  cook 
is  certainly  not  so  good  as  your  man  ;  and,  at  any  rate,  the 
quiet  of  your  cabin  makes  a  very  pleasant  change  after  al- 
ways sitting  down  with  a  large  party. ' ' 

After  dinner  was  over,  Stanley  gave  a  full  account  of  his 
adventures  from  the  time  that  he  was  taken  prisoner. 

"  You  have  done  wonderfully  well  for  yourself,  lad,  wonder- 
fully well.  Certainly  when  you  picked  up  Burmese  from  my 
man  we  had  no  idea  that  it  was  ever  likely  to  turn  out  so  use- 
ful. I  thought  that  it  would  have  been  an  assistance  among 
the  Mugs  on  the  coast,  and  I  had,  too,  some  idea  that  the 
war  might  lead  to  the  opening  of  a  trade  up  the  Irrawaddy  ; 
but  it  has  turned  out  infinitely  more  useful  than  that.  If  you 
could  not  have  spoken  Burmese  Bandoola  would  never  have 
thought  of  asking  for  you  to  be  spared  as  an  interpreter,  and 
if  he  had  not  done  so  you  would  have  had  your  head  chopped 
off  at  Ava.  Of  course  that  leopard  business  was  the  turning- 
point  of  your  fortunes ;  but,  though  it  has  turned  out  so  well, 
I  must  say  that  I  hardly  think  that  you  were  justified  in  risk- 
ing your  life  in  such  a  desperate  act  for  a  native,  who  might, 
for  aught  you  know,  be  already  dead.     Of  course,  it  was  a 


THE    ADVANCE  167 

most  gallant  action,  but  the  betting  was  ten  to  one  against 
your  succeeding.  However,  as  it  turned  out,  it  was  a  fortu- 
nate business  altogether.  I  don't  say  that  you  might  not 
have  made  your  way  down  to  Rangoon  unaided,  but  the  odds 
would  have  been  very  heavily  against  it.  However,  these 
rubies  were  a  windfall  indeed." 

"  Will  you  take  the  rest  of  them,  uncle,  and  sell  them  at 
Calcutta — or  shall  I  send  them  to  Madras,  or  home  to  Eng- 
land ?  " 

•'  I  will  take  them  with  me  to  Calcutta  if  you  like,  Stanley. 
I  don't  say  that  there  are  better  men  there  than  the  one  you 
sent  to  at  Madras,  but  I  think  some  of  them  do  a  larger  busi- 
ness up  country  with  the  native  princes,  who  don't  care  what 
they  give  for  good  gems.  At  any  rate  I  will  take  them  there 
and  get  them  valued  by  an  expert,  and  then  try  two  or  three  of 
the  leading  firms  and  get  their  offers.  If  these  are  as  high  as 
the  value  put  on  them  by  the  expert,  I  would  send  them  to 
England  through  my  agents,  who  would  do  the  best  they  could 
for  you." 

"  For  us,  uncle.  Of  course  it  is  all  in  the  partnership 
business.  You  have  just  got  some  contracts  that  will  pay 
well,  and  while  you  have  been  doing  that  I  have  been  get- 
ting hold  of  these  rubies." 

"I  don't  think  that  that  is  fair,  Stanley,"  his  uncle  said 
gravely. 

"  It  seems  to  me  perfectly  fair ;  and,  besides,  the  money 
put  into  the  business  will  make  a  lot  of  difference,  and  will 
certainly  pay  me  a  great  deal  better  than  it  would  in  any 
other  way.  I  sent  home  £100  for  my  mother  directly  the 
money  came  from  Calcutta,  and  told  her  that  I  hoped  to  be 
able  to  send  home  at  least  as  much  every  year." 

"  A  good  deal  more,  lad,  if  you  like.  I  calculate  these 
contracts  that   I  have  got  will  bring  in  a  pound  a  head,  so 


168  ON    THE    IRRAWADDY 

that  by  the  time  that  the  war  is  over  I  hope  to  have  cleared 
^8000,  which  will  be  about  what  you  will  make  by  your 
rubies,  and  when  trade  begins  again  we  shall  be  in  a  position 
to  do  it  on  a  big  scale  ;  but  I  still  think  that  it  will  not  be 
fair  to  take  that  money." 

"  Well,  uncle,  if  you  won't  take  it  I  certainly  won't  have 
anything  to  do  with  the  money  that  you  make  while  I  am 
away,  so  please  don't  let  us  say  anything  more  about  it. 
Shall  I  give  you  that  eighteen  hundred  now,  or  will  you  have 
an  order  upon  the  paymaster  in  Calcutta  ?  ' ' 

"  That  would  be  the  best  way,  if  you  will  have  it  so,  lad. 
I  have  left  money  with  Johnson  at  Ramgur  for  the  next  herd 
that  is  to  come  down  here,  and  have  orders  from  my  agent  on 
their  agents  at  Dalla  for  those  that  I  am  going  to  buy  for  the 
Manipur  column,  so  I  don't  want  the  money  now,  and  sup- 
pose the  dhow  were  to  be  lost  going  up,  the  cash  might  go 
with  it.  So  do  you  get  the  order  ;  you  had  better  send  it 
straight  to  Bothron,  and  tell  him  to  collect  it  and  credit  it  to 
my  account.  How  long  do  you  think  that  this  business  is 
going  to  last  ?  ' ' 

"  It  depends  how  far  we  have  to  go  before  the  Burmese 
decide  that  they  have  had  enough  of  it.  At  present  the  gen- 
eral hope  is  that  as  soon  as  we  arrive  at  Prome  they  will  give 
in  ;  if  they  don't  we  may  have  to  go  up  to  Ava,  and  in  that 
case  we  may  not  finish  it  until  this  time  next  year,  for  I  sup- 
pose operations  will  have  to  come  to  a  stop  when  the  wet 
season  begins  again,  and  we  could  hardly  reach  Ava  before 
that." 

"  I  expect  some  day  we  shall  have  to  take  the  whole  coun- 
try, Stanley.  You  may  frighten  the  court  into  submission 
when  you  approach  the  capital,  but  I  fancy  they  will  never 
keep  to  the  terms  that  we  shall  insist  upon,  and  that  there  will 
have  to  be  another  expedition.     That  is  generally  our  way — 


THE    ADVANCE  169 

it  was  so  at  Mysore,  it  has  been  so  in  a  dozen  other  places ; 
when  we  have  done  all  the  work  and  have  got  them  at  our 
mercy  we  give  them  comparatively  easy  terms.  As  soon  as 
they  recover  from  the  effects  of  their  defeat  they  set  to  work 
again  to  prepare  for  another  tussle,  and  then  we  have  all  the 
expense  and  loss  of  life  to  incur  again,  and  then  end  by  an- 
nexing their  territory,  which  we  might  just  as  well  have  done 
in  the  first  place.  It  may  be  all  very  well  to  be  lenient  when 
one  is  dealing  with  a  European  enemy,  but  magnanimity  does 
not  pay  when  you  have  to  do  with  Orientals,  who  don't  care 
a  rap  for  treaty  engagements,  and  who  always  regard  conces- 
sions as  being  simply  a  proof  of  weakness.  There  would  not 
be  half  the  difficulty  in  annexing  Burma  that  there  would  be 
in  the  case  of  a  large  province  in  India,  for  all  the  towns,  and 
most  even  of  their  villages,  lie  on  rivers,  and  a  couple  of 
dozen  gun-boats  would  suffice  to  keep  the  whole  country  in 
order.  You  will  see  that  that  is  what  we  shall  have  to  do 
some  day,  but  it  will  cost  us  two  or  three  expeditions  to  do 
what  might  just  as  well  be  done  now. ' ' 

"  Well,  uncle,  it  is  nearly  twelve  o'clock,  and  as  I  shall  be 
on  duty  at  six,  I  think  I  had  better  be  going.  I  wish  that 
you  could  have  stayed  for  another  two  or  three  days,  and  paid 
a  visit  to  the  pagoda  and  camps.  I  am  very  glad  that  I  have 
had  a  sight  of  you  again,  though  it's  a  very  short  one." 

"  I  should  be  glad  to  stay  another  day  or  two,  Stanley,  but 
it  is  really  of  importance  for  me  to  get  down  to  Ramgur 
as  soon  as  I  can,  and  send  Johnson  off  with  the  cattle,  for 
I  want  to  set  about  buying  the  herds  for  the  other  column 
as  quickly  as  possible.  I  think  I  have  left  myself  a  fair 
margin  of  time,  but  there  is  nothing  like  promptitude  in  de- 
livery, and  I  want  to  get  a  good  name,  for  future  business  ; 
and  if  this  affair  here  is  going  to  last  another  twelvemonth, 
regular  supplies  must  be  sent  up,  for  as  beef  is  forbidden  by 


170  ON    THE    IRRAWADDY 

the  Burmese  religion,  they  keep  no  cattle  except  for  draught 
purposes,  and  the  army  must  get  their  bullocks  by  sea. ' ' 

Five  minutes  later  Stanley  was  rowed  ashore.  The  next 
morning  he  accompanied  the  general,  and  went  down  to  in- 
spect the  newly-arrived  cattle. 

"  They  are  a  capital  lot,"  he  said  to  Stanley  ;  "  decidedly 
the  best  that  we  have  had  yet.  You  see  it  is  a  good  deal 
shorter  voyage  from  Ramgur  than  from  either  Calcutta  or 
Madras,  and  the  animals  probably  had  a  much  shorter  land 
journey  before  they  were  shipped.  Then,  too,  as  your  uncle 
came  down  himself,  they  were  no  doubt  much  better  looked 
after  than  usual  on  the  voyage.  However,  I  will  take  care 
to  mention  when  I  write  next  to  Calcutta  that  the  cattle  are 
far  above  the  average,  and  I  shall  be  glad  if  they  will  arrange 
for  such  further  supplies  as  we  may  require,  from  the  same 
source." 

"  Thank  you,  sir  ;  that  will  be  a  great  help  to  my  uncle. 
Hitherto  he  has  had  very  up-hill  work  of  it,  though  he  was 
beginning  to  get  on  very  well  when  the  war  put  a  stop  to 
trade  ;  he  knows  the  whole  country  so  thoroughly  that  he  can 
certainly  buy  up  cattle  at  many  places  where  no  European 
trader  save  himself  has  ever  penetrated." 

"No  doubt,  Brooke;  and  I  hope  for  your  sake  that  he 
will  succeed  well  in  this  contracting  business.  He  has  cer- 
tainly made  an  excellent  start,  and  as  he  is  first  in  the  field 
in  the  country  between  Assam  and  Ramgur  he  ought  to  make 
a  good  thing  of  this  opportunity  that  has  fallen  in  his  way. 
I  know  that  it  takes  a  long  time  to  build  up  a  business,  but 
when  the  foundation  is  laid,  and  a  man  is  quick  in  taking  ad- 
vantage of  an  opportunity,  he  can  do  as  much  in  a  year  as  he 
might  do  in  twenty  without  it.  Now,  I  am  going  over  to  the 
lines  of  the  47th,  to  see  how  they  have  shaken  down  into 
them." 


THE    ADVANCE  171 

This  regiment  had  brought  out  tents,  for,  as  every  build- 
ing was  already  occupied,  it  was  necessary  that  they  should 
be  put  under  canvas.  The  general  found  that  everything  was 
arranged  in  order,  and  the  encampment  certainly  presented  a 
pleasing  contrast  to  the  irregular  and  often  crowded  quarters 
of  the  troops  who  had  passed  the  wet  season  there.  The 
colonel  and  three  of  his  officers  dined  with  the  general  that 
evening,  the  party  being  made  up  of  the  military  staff,  includ- 
ing the  two  aides-de-camp.  Two  days  later,  Stanley,  with 
some  of  the  other  members  of  the  staff,  dined  at  the  47th 
mess.  Stanley  was  introduced  to  several  of  the  officers,  and 
these  were  specially  desirous  of  making  his  acquaintance,  as 
they  had  learned  that  he  had  been  a  prisoner  at  Ava,  and 
could  therefore  tell  them  much  more  than  they  had  hitherto 
learned  of  the  country  into  which  they  were  about  to  advance. 
Among  them  was  a  young  lieutenant,  also  of  the  name  of 
Brooke.  Stanley  had  three  weeks  before  attained  the  same 
rank  ;  at  the  time  that  he  was  appointed  to  the  83d  there 
were  already  several  death  vacancies  in  the  regiment,  and  dis- 
ease and  fighting  had  carried  off  six  more  officers ;  the  whole 
of  the  ensigns  had  consequently  obtained  their  step.  At  din- 
ner he  found  himself  placed  next  to  his  namesake. 

"It  is  curious  our  having  the  same  name,"  the  other  re- 
marked as  he  sat  down.      "It  is  not  a  very  common  one." 

"  No,  I  have  not  met  anyone  of  the  same  name  before," 
Stanley  said.  "  Indeed,  until  the  affair  at  Ramoo  I  was 
nearly  three  years  trading  with  an  uncle  of  mine  up  the 
rivers,  and  was  not  much  in  the  way  of  falling  in  with  white 
men.  But,  before  that,  I  had  been  with  my  father  in  a  good 
many  stations  in  India,  but  I  do  not,  as  far  as  I  can  remem- 
ber, recollect  meeting  anyone  of  the  same  name. ' ' 

"  Then  your  father  was  in  the  service  too  ?  " 

"  Yes.      He  was  a  captain  in  the  15th  Native  Infantry." 


172  ON    THE    IRRAWADDY 

"  Indeed,"  the  other  said  in  surprise.  "  Then  we  are  con- 
nections. But  I  had  no  idea  that  Captain  Brooke  was  ever 
married." 

"  He  was  married  just  after  he  came  out  to  India,"  Stan- 
ley said  ;  "  so  it  is  likely  enough  that  you  would  never  have 
heard  of  it.  He  died  three  years  ago,  and  my  mother  and 
sisters  are  now  in  England.  What  is  the  connection  between 
us  ?     I  have  never  heard  my  father  speak  much  of  his  family." 

"  Your  father  was  a  cousin  of  mine — second  cousin,  I 
think.  I  fancy  there  was  some  row  between  your  grandfather 
and  the  rest  of  the  family.  I  don't  know  anything  about  the 
right  or  wrongs  of  it,  for  it  was  of  course  many  years  before 
we  were  born  ;  and  I  never  heard  of  your  father's  existence 
until  a  fortnight  before  I  left  England.  Then  there  were 
some  inquiries  made  about  the  family  owing  to  various  deaths 
that  took  place  in  it.  Do  you  know  that  your  father  was  re- 
lated, distantly  of  course,  to  the  Earl  of  Netherby?  " 

"  I  do  remember  his  mentioning  it  once.  I  know  he  said 
that  it  was  a  distant  connection,  and  that  he  knew  nothing 
whatever  about  the  earl  or  his  family." 

"Well,  curiously  enough,  it  is  not  so  distant  now,"  the 
other  said.  "I  was  a  pretty  distant  connection  of  his;  he 
was  childless,  and  the  family  generally  don't  seem  to  have 
been  prolific.  A  good  many  of  them  died,  and  the  result 
was,  that  the  year  before  I  left  England,  an  uncle  of  mine 
succeeded  to  the  title.  He  has  no  son,  and  my  father  was 
his  next  brother.  My  father  died  two  years  ago,  and  the  re- 
sult is  that,  to  my  astonishment,  I  found  that  I  was  next  heir 
to  the  title.  They  wanted  me  to  leave  the  army  when  my 
regiment  was  ordered  out  to  India,  but  of  course  I  was  not 
going  to  do  that,  for  my  aunt  may  die  and  my  uncle  marry 
again  and  have  children.  Besides,  I  was  not  going  to  leave 
anyhow  just  as  the  regiment  was  ordered  abroad  and  might 


THE  ADVANCE  173 

see  service.  However,  there  was  a  great  hunting  by  the 
lawyers  in  the  genealogical  tree,  and  I  know  it  was  decided 
that  in  case  anything  happened  to  me  your  father  would  have 
been  the  next  heir  had  he  been  alive.  I  don't  know  whether 
any  further  inquiries  were  made,  or  whether  they  ever  ascer- 
tained that  he  had  married.  I  don't  suppose  there  were,  for 
of  course  as  long  as  I  live  the  matter  is  of  no  importance. 
So  that  as  things  stand  now,  if  a  Burmese  bullet  puts  an  end 
to  my  career  you  are  the  next  heir  to  the  title." 

"You  surprise  me,  indeed,"  Stanley  said.  "From  the 
way  my  father  spoke  of  the  matter  I  am  sure  that  he  had  not 
the  slightest  idea  there  was  any  likelihood  whatever  that  he 
would  have  any  chance  of  succeeding  to  the  title." 

"  That  I  can  well  imagine,  for  it  was  not  until  a  few  years 
ago,  when  the  deaths  of  several  who  stood  between  him  and 
the  succession  occurred,  that  my  uncle  regarded  his  coming 
into  it  as  a  matter  worth  thinking  about,  and  of  course  all  our 
family  stood  between  it  and  your  father.  However,  as  you 
see,  we  have  dwindled  away,  and  if  I  do  not  get  safely 
through  this  business  you  are  the  next  heir. ' ' 

"  It  is  curious  news  to  hear  at  a  dinner  in  Burma,"  Stanley 
said  thoughtfully.  "  At  any  rate,  I  can  assure  you  honestly 
that  the  news  gives  me  no  particular  satisfaction.  I  suppose 
it  would  be  a  nice  thing  to  come  in  for  a  peerage,  but  my 
prospects  out  here  are  good.  I  have  no  intention  of  staying 
in  the  army  after  the  end  of  the  war,  and  am  really  in  partner- 
ship with  my  uncle,  with  whom  I  have  been  for  the  last  three 
years  in  business,  which  is  turning  out  very  well.  I  like  the 
life,  and  have  every  chance  of  making  enough  to  retire  on, 
with  ample  means.  Certainly  I  should  not  like  to  come  into 
the  title  by  the  death  of  anyone  that  I  knew." 

"That  is  the  fortune  of  war,"  the  other  said  smiling. 
"  We  get  our  steps  by  death  vacancies.     We  are  sorry  for 


174  ON    THE    IRRAWADDY 

the  deaths,  but  the  steps  are  not  unwelcome.  By  the  way, 
my  name  is  Harry.  I  know  that  yours  is  Stanley.  I  vote 
that  we  call  each  other  by  them.  We  are  cousins,  you 
know,  and  I  suppose  that  as  you  are  my  heir,  you  must  be 
my  nearest  male  relation  at  present,  so  I  vote  that  we  call 
each  other  by  our  Christian  names  instead  of  Brookeing  each 
other  always." 

"I  shall  be  very  glad  to  do  so,"  Stanley  said  cordially. 
"  I  hope  that  we  shall  be  close  friends  as  well  as  distant 
relations." 

Then,  as  there  was  a  momentary  lull  in  the  conversation, 
Harry  raised  his  voice  and  said  to  the  colonel  : 

"  A  very  curious  thing  has  just  happened,  Colonel.  Brooke 
and  myself  have  just  discovered  that  we  are  cousins,  and  what 
is  still  more  curious,  that  if  anything  happens  to  me  he  takes 
my  place  as  next  heir  to  my  uncle,  a  fact  of  which  he  was  en- 
tirely ignorant." 

"That  is  certainly  a  very  curious  coincidence,  Brooke; 
very  singular.     Then  you  have  not  met  before  ?  ' ' 

"  I  did  not  even  know  of  his  existence,  Colonel,  and  had 
indeed  no  idea  that  Captain  Brooke,  his  father,  had  been 
married.  The  cousinship  is  a  distant  one,  but  there  is  no 
question  whatever  as  to  his  being  next  in  succession  to  myself 
to  the  peerage." 

The  discovery  excited  general  interest,  and  quite  turned 
the  conversation  for  the  time  from  the  subject  of  the  war  and 
of  their  approaching  advance.  After  dinner  was  finished 
many  of  the  officers  gathered  round  Stanley  asking  him 
questions  about  the  nature  of  the  country,  and  his  experiences 
as  a  captive  in  the  hands  of  the  Burmese.  Presently  Colonel 
Adair,  who  had  also  dined  at  the  mess,  joined  the  group. 

"I  suppose,  Mr.  Brooke,"  he  said,  "your  newly-found 
cousin  has  told  you  about  his  adventure  with  the  leopard?  " 


THE    ADVANCE  175 

"  No,  Colonel,  he  has  not  said  anything  about  a  leopard." 

"  He  is  grievously  afflicted  with  modesty,"  the  colonel 
went  on,  "  and  so  I  will  tell  it  for  him,  for  I  think  you 
ought  to  know  that  he  is  not  only  able  to  speak  half  a  dozen 
languages,  but  that  he  is  capable  of  doing  deeds  of  ex- 
ceptional gallantry.  You  can  go  and  chat  with  the  colonel, 
Brooke ;  he  is  anxious  to  hear  your  report  as  to  the  country, 
and  I  will  be  your  trumpeter  here." 

Stanley  gladly  moved  away,  and  entered  into  conversation 
with  the  colonel  of  the  47th,  while  Colonel  Adair  related  his 
adventures  with  the  leopard  to  his  cousin  and  the  officers 
standing  round. 

"  By  Jove,  that  was  a  plucky  thing  !  "  Harry  Brooke  said 
admiringly. 

"  It  was  indeed  !  "  the  colonel  agreed,  as  similar  exclama- 
tions went  round  the  circle.  "  I  don't  think  one  man  in  a 
hundred  would  have  attacked  a  leopard  with  no  weapon  but  a 
knife,  except  to  save  the  life  of  a  comrade  ;  even  then  it 
would  be  a  most  desperate  action.  I  have  done  a  good  deal 
of  big-game  shooting  in  India,  but  I  am  certain  that  nothing 
but  a  strong  affection  for  a  comrade  in  the  grasp  of  a  leopard 
would  induce  me  to  risk  almost  certain  death  in  the  way  your 
cousin  did.  We  should  never  have  heard  of  it  if  we  had  not 
got  the  details  from  the  man  he  saved,  and  who  has  since  at- 
tached himself  to  him  as  a  servant,  and  is  the  man  who,  as  I 
daresay  he  did  tell  you,  served  as  his  companion  and  guide  in 
making  his  way  down  here.  At  any  rate  you  see,  Brooke, 
your  cousin  is  an  uncommonly  fine  young  fellow,  and  you 
have  reason  to  be  proud  of  the  relationship." 

"  I  feel  so,  Colonel,  and  it  is  really  a  pleasure  to  know 
that,  if  one  does  go  down,  a  thoroughly  good  fellow  will 
benefit  by  it,  instead  of  some  unknown  person  who  might  be 
a  very  objectionable  representative  of  the  family. ' ' 


176  ON    THE    IRRAWADDY 

For  the  next  three  or  four  days  the  bustle  of  preparations 
went  on,  and  on  the  fifth  a  detachment  was  sent  up  with  a 
sloop  and  gun-boats  to  attack  an  advanced  position  of  the 
enemy  on  the  Lyne  river.  Although  the  3000  Burmese,  who 
were  posted  in  a  strong  stockade,  were  supported  by  thirty- 
six  guns,  the  works  were  carried  by  storm  with  little  loss. 
The  two  branches  of  the  Pellang  or  Rangoon  river,  by  which 
the  force  were  to  advance  against  Donabew,  were  on  the  fol- 
lowing day  reconnoitred  for  some  distance.  A  number  of 
fire-rafts  were  destroyed,  but  the  Burmese  were  too  disheart- 
ened to  offer  any  resistance. 

To  the  disappointment  of  the  troops,  the  general  was  able 
to  take  with  him  only  a  limited  force,  for  the  difficulties  of 
carriage  were  enormous,  and  as  experience  had  shown  that  the 
country  was  likely  to  be  deserted  and  devastated  on  their  ap- 
proach, it  was  therefore  impossible  for  the  bulk  of  the  army  to 
be  taken  on  by  land. 

There  were  other  points,  however,  where  the  troops  left 
behind  could  be  profitably  employed  ;  the  capture  of  the  im- 
portant town  of  Bassein  on  the  main  branch  of  the  Irrawaddy 
would  open  the  river  to  the  passage  of  our  ships,  and  put  an 
entire  stop  to  the  trade  of  Ava. 

The  force  told  off  for  the  advance  against  Donabew  was 
divided  into  two  columns.  The  first,  2400  strong,  consisting 
of  the  38th,  41st,  and  47th  Regiments,  three  native  battalions, 
the  troop  of  bodyguard,  a  battery  of  Bengal  horse  artillery, 
and  part  of  the  rocket  company,  was  to  march  by  land.  The 
second  column,  which  was  to  proceed  by  water,  was  1169 
strong,  and  it  consisted  of  the  89th  Regiment,  the  10th  Madras 
Europeans  and  250  of  the  18th  Native  Infantry,  a  body  of 
dismounted  artillery,  and  the  rest  of  the  rocket  company. 

This  force  was  commanded  by  Brigadier-General  Cotton. 
It  was  to  be   carried  in  a  flotilla  of  sixty-two  boats,  each 


DONABEW  177 

armed  with  one  or  two  guns,  and  the  boats  of  all  the  ships  of 
war  at  Rangoon  under  the  command  of  Captain  Alexander, 
R.N.  Major  Sale  was,  at  the  same  time,  to  advance  against 
Bassein  with  600  men  of  the  13th  Regiment  and  the  12th 
Madras  Native  Infantry,  with  some  artillery.  After  occupy- 
ing the  town  he  was  to  cross  the  country  lying  between  the 
two  main  arms  of  the  Irrawaddy,  and  to  join  the  general's 
force  near  Donabew.  The  rest  of  the  force — nearly  4000  men, 
chiefly  native  regiments  and  Europeans  who  had  not  as  yet 
recovered  sufficient  strength  to  take  part  in  field  operations — 
was  to  remain  at  Rangoon,  under  Brigadier-General  M'Creigh, 
who  was  to  form  a  reserve  column,  in  readiness  to  move  as 
directed  as  soon  as  sufficient  transport  was  collected. 

It  was  to  the  water  force  that  the  capture  of  Donabew 
was  intrusted,  as  it  lay  upon  the  opposite  bank  of  the  Irra- 
waddy, while  the  general's  force  was  directed  against  Thara- 
wa,  at  the  junction  of  the  two  main  branches  of  the  river. 
Here  they  were  to  be  joined  by  General  Cotton's  force  after 
the  capture  of  Donabew  ;  then,  unless  the  court  of  Ava  sued 
for  peace,  a  united  advance  was  to  be  made  on  the  important 
town  of  Prome. 


CHAPTER   XI 


DONABEW 


STANLEY  BROOKE  did  not  accompany  the  land  column, 
as  the  general  said  to  him  two  days  before,  "  I  have 
been  speaking  with  General  Cotton,  and  he  said  that  he 
should  be  glad  if  I  would  attach  you  to  his  staff  until  the 
force  unites  again.      Not  one  of  his  staff  officers  speaks  Bur- 


178  ON    THE    IRRAWADDY 

mese,  and  although  he  has  two  or  three  interpreters  with  him, 
it  will  be  better,  if  Bandoola  sends  in  an  officer  offering  to 
surrender,  that  he  should  be  met  by  a  British  officer.  In  the 
next  place,  it  may  be  necessary  for  him  to  communicate  with 
me,  and  assuredly,  with  your  experience  of  the  country,  you 
would  be  able  to  get  through  better  than  anyone  else.  I  do 
not  apprehend  that  there  would  be  any  great  danger,  for  we 
know  that  every  available  fighting  man  has  been  impressed  by 
Bandoola,  and  the  passage  of  our  column  will  completely 
cow  the  villagers  lying  between  us  and  the  river.  I  suppose," 
he  said  with  a  smile,  "  that  you  have  no  objection,  since  it 
will  save  you  a  long,  and,  I  have  no  doubt,  a  very  unpleasant 
march,  and  you  will  also  obtain  a  view  of  the  affairs  at  the 
stockades  at  Pellang  and  Donabew." 

The  land  column  started  on  the  13th  of  February,  the 
water  column  on  the  16th,  and  the  detachment  for  Bassein 
sailed  on  the  following  day.  Stanley  was  delighted  at  being 
appointed  to  accompany  the  boat  column.  The  march 
through  the  country  would  present  no  novelty  to  him,  and 
it  was  probable  that  the  land  column  would  encounter  no  se- 
rious resistance  until,  after  being  joined  by  General  Cotton's 
force,  it  advanced  against  Prome.  His  horses  went  with  those 
of  General  Cotton  and  his  staff,  under  charge  of  the  syce  and 
Meinik.  The  one  steamboat  kept  at  the  start  in  rear  of  the 
great  flotilla  of  boats,  so  that  in  case  of  any  of  them  striking 
on  a  sandbank,  it  could  at  once  move  to  her  assistance  and 
pull  her  off. 

The  scene  was  a  very  bright  one,  as  in  all  upwards  of  a 
hundred  craft  of  various  sizes  proceeded  together.  In  front 
were  half  a  dozen  gun  -  boats,  next  to  these  came  the  two 
sloops  of  war,  followed  by  the  rest  of  the  boats,  proceeding 
in  irregular  order.  There  was  very  little  stream,  for  the 
rivers  were  now  quite  low,  and  although  the  flat  country  was 


DONABEW  179 

still  little  more  than  a  swamp,  the  rains  in  the  hills  that  sup- 
plied the  main  body  of  water  to  them  had  long  since  ceased. 
The  ships'  boats  were,  of  course,  rowed  by  the  bluejackets. 
The  other  craft  were,  for  the  most  part,  manned  by  natives, 
though  the  soldiers  on  board  occasionally  lent  a  hand.  Two 
days  after  starting  the  boats  destroyed  three  newly-erected 
stockades  that  were  found  unoccupied,  and  on  the  19th 
reached  Pellang,  where  three  very  strong  stockades  had  been 
erected.  A  battery  was  thrown  up  next  day,  from  which, 
as  well  as  from  the  steamboat  and  sloops  of  war,  shells  were 
thrown  into  the  stockade  with  such  effect  that  two  of  the 
enemy's  works  were  evacuated  as  soon  as  the  troops  took  the 
offensive,  and  the  main  Pellang  stockade  was  also  abandoned 
without  resistance.  The  two  smaller  works  were  destroyed, 
and  a  portion  of  the  18th  Madras  Infantry  was  left  here  to 
maintain  communication  with  Rangoon. 

On  the  27th  the  flotilla  entered  the  main  stream,  and  the 
next  day  the  advance  came  in  sight  of  Donabew.  It  was  an- 
other five  days  before  the  whole  force  was  in  position,  for 
several  of  the  most  heavily  laden  craft  stuck  fast  on  the  sand- 
banks at  the  fork  of  the  river.  The  next  day  Donabew  was 
summoned  to  surrender.  Bandoola,  who  was  at  the  head  of 
15,000  men,  returned  a  refusal  which  was  given  in  courteous 
terms,  differing  very  widely  from  the  haughty  and  peremptory 
language  in  which  all  previous  communications  had  been 
couched.  The  next  day  a  party  of  the  89th  landed  on  the 
low-lying  ground  between  the  main  stockade  and  the  river, 
and,  in  spite  of  the  heavy  fire,  succeeded  in  ascertaining  the 
strength  and  nature  of  the  defences.  The  main  work  was  in 
the  form  of  a  parallelogram,  about  a  mile  long,  and  stood  on 
ground  rising  above  the  general  level,  and  fifty  pieces  of  can- 
non of  various  sizes  were  in  position  on  the  river  face.  Two 
outworks,   constructed    of  square  beams  of  timber,   with  an 


180  ON    THE    IRRAWADDY 

outer  ditch,  and  a  thick  abbatis,  defended  the  southern  face 
against  an  attack  from  an  enemy  landing  below  it.  It  was 
necessary  to  leave  a  strong  guard  on  board  the  flotilla,  lest  an 
attack  should  be  made  by  war-canoes  and  fire-rafts ;  the  gen- 
eral, therefore,  had  not  more  than  600  men  available  for  the 
assault. 

As  the  enemy's  guns  completely  commanded  the  river,  it 
was  necessary  to  land  below  it,  and  on  the  morning  of  the 
7th  the  troops  were  disembarked,  with  two  six-pounder  guns 
and  a  rocket  detachment.  'Forming  in  two  columns  they 
advanced  against  the  lower  of  the  two  covering  stockades, 
and  after  an  exchange  of  fire  with  the  enemy  rushed  for- 
ward and  forced  an  entrance  into  it,  although  the  enemy 
resisted  with  more  resolution  than  they  had  for  some  time 
shown.  280  -prisoners  were  taken,  and  the  rest  of  the  de- 
fenders fled  to  the  second  work.  Two  more  guns  and  four 
mortars  were  landed  and  placed  in  position,  and  after  the 
stockades  had  been  shelled  for  a  short  time,  a  storming  party, 
under  Captain  Rose,  advanced  to  the  assault.  So  heavy  a 
fire  was  opened  upon  them  that  the  little  column  was  brought 
to  a  standstill  and  forced  to  fall  back,  with  the  loss  of  its 
commander  and  of  Captain  Cannon  of  the  89th,  while  most 
of  the  seamen  with  the  storming  party  were  either  killed  or 
wounded. 

This  want  of  success  against  a  mere  outwork  showed  Gen- 
eral Cotton  that,  with  the  small  force  at  his  disposal,  it  would 
be  worse  than  useless  to  renew  the  attack,  for  were  the  out- 
work carried  the  loss  would  be  so  great  that  it  would  be  hope- 
less to  think  of  attacking  Bandoola's  main  position.  He 
therefore  determined  to  abstain  from  further  attack  until  rein- 
forced. 

"  Now,  Mr.  Brooke,"  he  said,  as  soon  as  the  troops  had 
been  taken  on  board  the  boats  again,  "  I  must  bring  your 


DONABEW  181 

services  into  requisition.  This  is  just  the  contingency  that 
we  thought  might  possibly  occur.  I  cannot  advance  up 
the  river  until  Donabew  is  taken,  and  I  cannot  attack  the 
place  with  the  force  at  my  command.  Therefore  I  will 
at  once  write  a  despatch  to  General  Campbell  for  you  to 
carry.  You  will  be  accompanied  by  the  two  men  of  the 
bodyguard  who  have  come  with  me  as  orderlies.  I  shall 
have  no  use  for  them  here,  and  three  of  you  together  need 
not  fear  any  molestation  from  the  few  people  remaining  in 
their  villages,  and  may  be  able  to  cut  your  way  through  any 
of  the  bands  of  deserters  or  beaten  troops  dispersed  over  the 
country." 

"  Very  well,  General.  I  shall  also  take  my  Burman  on  my 
second  charger ;  he  may  be  useful  in  getting  news  as  to 
roads  from  the  natives,  who  will  as  likely  as  not  fly  into  the 
jungle  Avhen  they  see  us  approaching.  However,  there  is 
not  much  fear  of  our  losing  our  way,  as  it  will  be  along  the 
river  as  far  as  Tharawa." 

A  boat  was  at  once  sent  off  to  the  craft  carrying  the  two 
orderlies,  and  the  horses  of  the  staff.  As  soon  as  the  de- 
spatch was  written,  Stanley,  after  shaking  hands  with  his  com- 
panions, was  also  rowed  to  the  horse-barge.  This  was,  at  a 
signal  of  the  general,  taken  in  tow  by  the  steamer  and  piloted 
to  the  opposite  bank.  A  boat  sounding  ahead  presently 
found  a  spot  where  there  was  enough  water  for  the  barge 
to  get  alongside  the  bank.  The  horses  were  led  ashore,  and 
Stanley,  the  two  troopers,  and  Meinik  mounted. 

The  Burmese  are  poor  riders,  but  during  the  wet  season 
Stanley  had  often  taken  Meinik  on  his  spare  horse  when 
riding  about  in  the  camp,  partly  because  he  could  trust  him 
to  look  after  the  horses  carefully,  and  in  the  second  place 
to  accustom  him  to  ride  on  horseback,  so  as  to  act,  if  required, 
as  an  orderly.     Meinik  was  quite  of  opinion  that  there  would 


182  ON    THE    IRRAWADDY 

be  no  risk  whatever  in  passing  through  villages,  but  thought 
it  probable  that  they  might  fall  in  with  disbanded  troops,  as 
it  was  known  that  the  land  column  had,  soon  after  starting, 
captured  the  fort  of  Mophi,  and  that  its  garrison,  between  two 
and  three  thousand  strong,  had  taken  to  the  jungle  and  dis- 
persed. 

"  Still,  master,"  he  said,  "  I  don't  think  it  likely  that 
they  will  attack  us.  They  will  be  expecting  no  one,  and  we 
shall  come  upon  them  by  surprise  ;  then  they  will  run  into 
the  bushes,  thinking  that  you  must  have  many  more  troops 
behind  you.  No,  it  is  not  likely  that  they  will  have  many 
guns  ;  they  would  throw  them  away  when  they  fled,  partly 
to  run  faster  through  the  forest,  partly  because  most  of  them 
will  be  making  off  to  the  villages,  hoping  to  lie  concealed 
until  the  war  is  over  ;  while  if  they  had  guns  in  their  hands  it 
would  be  known  that  they  were  deserters,  and  they  might  be 
seized  and  sent  across  the  river  to  Bandoola  or  up  to  Prome. ' ' 

They  rode  some  fifteen  miles  before  dark,  and  then  took 
up  their  quarters  in  a  village.  The  few  old  men,  women, 
and  children  inhabiting  it  fled  at  their  approach  ;  but  when 
Meinik  went  to  the  edge  of  the  jungle  and  shouted  out  loudly 
that  they  need  not  fear,  for  that  no  harm  would  be  done 
to  any  of  them,  and  good  prices  would  be  given  for  food, 
two  or  three  returned,  and,  finding  the  statements  to  be  true, 
one  of  them  went  into  the  jungle  again  and  brought  the  others 
back.  Fowls  and  eggs  were  brought  into  the  hut  that  Stan- 
ley occupied,  and  a  good  supply  of  grain  for  the  horses  was 
also  purchased.  Thus  Stanley  was  able  to  avoid  breaking 
into  the  small  stock  of  provisions  they  had  brought  with 
them.  The  inhabitants  of  this  part  of  Burma  were  a  tribe 
known  as  Carians.  They  were  the  tillers  of  the  soil,  and 
were  an  industrious  and  hardy  race.  The  country  was  so 
rich  that  they  not  only  raised  sufficient  for  their  own  wants, 


DONABEW  183 

but  sent  large  supplies  of  grain  and  rice  to  Ava.  They  were 
very  heavily  taxed,  but,  as  a  rule,  were  exempt  from  con- 
scription. Nevertheless  they  had  on  the  present  occasion 
been  forced  to  labour  at  the  stockades,  and  in  transporting 
food  for  the  troops. 

Their  forest  villages  were  small.  They  consisted  of  little 
huts  erected  either  in  trees  shorn  of  their  branches,  or  upon 
very  strong  poles ;  these  abodes  were  only  accessible  by 
rough  ladders,  formed  by  nailing  pieces  of  wood  across 
the  trees  or  poles.  This  was  absolutely  necessary  on  ac- 
count of  the  number  of  tigers  that  infested  the  forest.  The 
village  where  they  had  halted  was,  however,  built  upon 
the  ground,  but  was  surrounded  by  a  strong  stockade. 
The  people  assured  Stanley  that  none  of  the  fugitives  from 
Mophi  had  come  that  way. 

There  had,  they  said,  been  many  after  Bandoola's  defeat, 
but  they  had  seen  none  of  late.  They  declared  that  they 
had  far  greater  fear  of  these  than  they  had  of  the  English, 
for  that  they  plundered  wherever  they  went,  and  if  they 
could  not  obtain  enough  to  satisfy  their  expectations,  burnt 
the  houses  and  often  killed  many  of  the  inhabitants.  The 
villagers  volunteered  to  keep  watch  all  night  at  the  gate 
of  the  stockade,  although  they  said  that  there  was  no  fear  of 
anyone  approaching,  as  strangers  could  not  find  their  way 
through  the  forest  in  the  dark  ;  and  even  could  they  do  so 
the  fear  of  tigers  would  prevent  them  from  making  the  at- 
tempt. Stanley  agreed  to  pay  some  of  them  to  watch,  but 
also  stationed  one  of  his  own  men  as  sentry,  relieving  him 
every  three  hours.  An  hour  after  they  reached  the  village 
they  saw  one  of  the  war-boats  rowing  rapidly  up  the  stream, 
and  had  no  doubt  that  it  was  bearing  a  message  from  Ban- 
doola,  saying  that  he  had  repulsed  the  attack  of  the  British. 
Beyond  hearing  the  howling  of  tigers  in  the  forest  Stanley 


184  ON    THE    IRRAWADDY 

passed  the  night  undisturbed,  except  when  he  went  to  change 
the  sentry  ;  Meinik  took  his  share  of  watching,  and  Stanley 
himself  relieved  him  an  hour  before  daybreak. 

By  the  time  the  sun  rose  the  horses  had  been  fed  and 
breakfast  taken.  After  riding  some  miles  the  country  be- 
came more  open ;  cultivated  fields  succeeded  the  dense 
forest  ;  the  ground  was  higher,  and  little  groups  of  huts 
could  be  seen  wherever  a  small  elevation  rose  above  the 
general  level.  The  change  was  very  welcome,  for  they  were 
able  to  travel  faster,  and  there  was  less  chance  of  their  coming 
suddenly  upon  a  party  of  the  disbanded  troops.  Presently, 
just  as  they  reached  a  larger  village  than  usual  by  the  river 
bank,  a  thick  smoke  arose  from  one  of  the  houses,  and  they 
could  hear  female  screams. 

"  Come  on  !  "  Stanley  shouted  to  the  three  men  riding 
behind  him.  "  See  that  your  pistols  are  ready  to  hand,  and 
draw  your  swords." 

This  village  was  not,  like  the  last,  stockaded,  being  some 
miles  away  from  the  forest.  As  they  dashed  into  it  they 
saw  some  twenty  Burmese.  Two  women  lay  dead  in  front  of 
one  house,  and  one  of  the  men  with  a  torch  was  about  to  fire 
another.  Absorbed  in  their  own  doings  the  Burmese  did  not 
notice  the  coming  of  the  horsemen  until  the  latter  were  close 
to  them,  then,  with  a  cry  of  consternation,  they  turned  to  fly, 
but  it  was  too  late.  Stanley  cut  down  the  man  who  was 
about  to  fire  the  hut,  and  he  and  the  others  then  fell  upon 
the  Burmans  with  sword  and  pistol.  Six  of  them  were  killed, 
the  rest  were  pursued,  but  dashing  down  to  the  river  they 
plunged  in,  pistol  shots  being  sent  after  them.  Stanley  re- 
mained on  the  bank  until  he  saw  that  they  had  fairly  started 
to  cross  the  river,  then  he  re-entered  the  village.  Two  or 
three  frightened  people  came  out  from  their  hiding-places 
when  Meinik  shouted  to  them  that  all  was  safe. 


STANLEY    CU1    DOWN    THE    MAN    WHO   WAS    ABOUT    TO    KIRK 
THE    HUT. 


DONABEW  185 

"  They  have  all  gone,"  he  said,  "  you  need  not  fear  being 
disturbed  by  them  again.  See,  there  are  six  guns  lying  in  the 
road,  and  you  will  find  plenty  of  ammunition  on  those  fellows 
that  have  fallen.  There  are  some  spears  and  swords,  too. 
Of  course  you  can  do  nothing  if  a  number  of  these  fellows 
come,  but  if  there  are  only  two  or  three,  you  and  the  women 
ought  to  be  able  to  dispose  of  them.     Now  we  must  ride  on." 

On  the  third  day  they  arrived  at  Tharawa,  and  found  that 
Sir  A.  Campbell,  who  had  been  assured  by  the  natives  that 
Bandoola  had  retreated,  had  continued  his  march  the  day 
before.  The  place  was  so  large  that  Stanley  thought  it  un- 
safe for  them  to  sleep  there,  and  they  rode  on  to  a  little 
village  two  miles  away.  Here  they  were  received  with  great 
deference,  the  passage  of  the  troops  the  day  before  having 
profoundly  impressed  the  villagers.  After  waiting  three 
hours  to  rest  the  horses,  they  again  mounted,  and,  riding  all 
night,  arrived  in  the  morning  at  Yuadit,  a  village  twenty-six 
miles  from  Tharawa,  and  found  the  force  on  the  point  of 
starting. 

"  No  bad  news,  I  hope,  Mr.  Brooke?  "  the  general  said  as 
he  rode  up  to  him. 

' '  I  am  sorry  to  say,  sir,  that  my  news  is  not  good.  Here 
is  the  brigadier's  despatch." 

"  This  is  unfortunate  indeed,"  the  general  said  when  he 
had  run  his  eye  over  the  document.  "  Mr.  Tollemache, 
please  to  ride  along  the  line  and  say  that  the  column  is  not  to 
get  into  motion  until  further  orders." 

Colonel  Adair  and  the  other  officers  of  the  staff  had  been 
on  the  point  of  mounting  when  Stanley  rode  up.  The 
general  called  two  or  three  of  the  senior  officers  to  him. 

"Cotton  can  neither  take  Donabew  nor  get  past  it,"  he 
said.  "Here  is  his  despatch.  You  see  he  has  lost  several 
officers  and  a  good  many  men,  and  that  in  the  assault  on  an 


186  ON    THE    IRRAWADDY 

out-lying  work  only.  I  am  afraid  that  there  is  nothing  for 
us  to  do  but  go  back  to  his  assistance." 

"I  am  afraid  not,  sir,"  Colonel  Adair  said.  "  Our  sup- 
plies are  running  short  already,  and  you  see  we  decided  upon 
filling  up  all  the  carts  at  Tharawa,  where  we  made  sure  that 
we  should  be  met  by  the  boats.  The  country  round  here  has 
been  completely  stripped,  and  it  would  be  a  very  serious 
matter  to  endeavour  to  advance  to  Prome  without  supplies. 
Moreover,  we  might  expect  a  much  more  serious  resistance 
than  we  have  bargained  for.  The  news  that  Bandoola  has 
repulsed  his  assailants — and  you  may  be  sure  that  this  has 
been  exaggerated  into  a  great  victory — will  restore  the  spirit 
of  the  Burmese.  It  is  evident  that  we  must  turn  back  and 
finish  off  with  Bandoola  before  we  advance  further." 

Orders  were  accordingly  sent  to  the  officers  commanding 
the  various  corps  that  the  column  was  to  retrace  its  steps,  and 
while  they  passed  through  the  village,  Stanley  related  in  much 
greater  detail  than  had  been  given  in  the  despatch,  the  events 
of  the  attack  and  the  nature  of  the  defences  at  Donabew. 

The  troops  marched  along  with  a  cheerful  mien.  It  was  of 
course  an  annoyance  to  have  to  plod  back  along  the  road 
they  had  before  traversed,  but  upon  the  other  hand  there  was 
a  general  satisfaction  that  they  were  after  all  to  take  part  in 
the  capture  of  Bandoola's  last  stronghold.  Colonel  Adair 
rode  on  with  the  little  troop  of  cavalry.  He  was  to  push 
forward  to  Tharawa,  and  was  to  offer  rewards  to  the  natives 
there  for  every  boat  brought  in.  There  was  little  doubt  that 
many  of  the  fishermen  had  hauled  up  their  craft  into  clumps 
of  bushes  and  brush-wood  to  prevent  their  being  requisitioned 
by  Bandoola,  and  although  it  was  not  likely  that  a  large 
number  would  now  be  obtained,  yet  even  if  but  a  dozen  were 
found  it  would  be  of  assistance.  The  rest  of  the  force  reached 
Tharawa  on  the  following  evening,  with  the  exception  of  a 


DONABEW  187 

party  left  to  protect  the  slow-moving  waggons.  They  found 
that  nine  canoes  had  been  obtained,  and  that  a  considerable 
portion  of  the  scanty  population  had  been  all  day  employed 
in  cutting  bamboos  and  timber  for  rafts. 

The  next  morning  the  troops  were  all  engaged  on  the  same 
work,  and  in  the  construction  of  rafts,  and  at  nightfall  three 
hundred  men  of  the  49th  were  taken  across  the  river  to  the 
town  of  Henzada,  in  case  Bandoola,  on  hearing  of  the  prep- 
arations for  crossing,  should  send  a  force  to  oppose  the 
passage.  It  took  four  days'  .continuous  labour  to  get  the  little 
army  across,  as  it  was  necessary  to  make  large  timber  rafts  to 
carry  the  carts,  horses  and  bullocks,  guns  and  stores.  Hear- 
ing that  a  force  was  posted  some  fifteen  miles  away  to  inter- 
cept the  detachment  that  was  marching  from  Bassein,  Colonel 
Godwin  with  a  party  was  sent  off  that  night  to  endeavour  to 
surprise  it.  The  Burmese,  however,  took  the  alarm  before 
they  were  attacked,  and  scattered  in  all  directions  without 
firing  a  shot.  The  army  marched  along  the  right  bank,  and 
arrived  before  Donabew  on  the  25th  of  March.  Communi- 
cations were  opened  with  General  Cotton's  force  below  the 
town,  and  both  divisions  set  to  work  to  erect  batteries. 

The  Burmese  made  several  sorties  to  interrupt  the  work, 
and  one  of  these  was  accompanied  by  Bandoola's  seventeen 
elephants.  The  troop  of  cavalry,  horse  artillery,  and  the 
rocket  company  charged  close  up  to  the  elephants,  and 
opened  fire  upon  the  howdahs  filled  with  troops  that  they 
carried.  In  a  short  time  most  of  these  and  the  drivers  were 
killed,  and  the  elephants,  many  of  which  also  had  received 
wounds,  dashed  off  into  the  jungle,  while  the  infantry  fled 
back  into  the  stockade,  into  which  a  discharge  of  shells  and 
rockets  was  maintained  all  day.  The  next  morning — the  1st 
of  April — the  mortar  batteries  were  completed,  and  these  and 
others  armed  with  light  guns  kept  up  a  continuous  fire  into 


188  ON    THE    IRRAWADDY 

the  enemy's  camp.  At  daybreak  on  the  2d  the  heavy  guns 
of  the  breaching  batteries  also  opened  fire,  and  in  a  very  short 
time  the  enemy  were  seen  pouring  out  in  the  rear  of  their 
works  and  making  their  way  into  the  jungle.  As  there  had 
been  no  idea  that  they  would  so  speedily  evacuate  the  stock- 
ade, no  preparations  had  been  made  for  cutting  them  off,  and 
the  garrison  therefore  effected  their  escape  with  but  little  loss. 

The  troops  at  once  occupied  the  work,  and  found  large 
stores  of  grain  and  ammunition  there  as  well  as  a  great  num- 
ber of  guns.  From  some  of  the  wounded  Burmans  it  was  as- 
certained that  the  evacuation  of  the  fort  was  due  to  the  death 
of  Bandoola,  who  had  been  killed  by  the  explosion  of  a  shell 
while  watching  the  operations  from  a  look-out  that  had  been 
erected  for  him  at  the  top  of  a  lofty  tree.  His  death  had 
caused  the  most  profound  depression  among  the  garrison  ; 
their  leaders  in  vain  endeavoured  to  reanimate  their  courage, 
the  opening  of  the  fire  with  the  heavy  guns  completed  their 
discomfiture,  and  they  fled  without  thought  of  resistance. 
Indeed,  the  greater  part  had  stolen  away  during  the  night. 

A  portion  of  the  fleet  had  already  passed  up  beyond  the 
fort  under  a  heavy  fire,  and  the  rest  now  came  up.  The 
supplies  of  grain  were  renewed,  and  a  guard  being  left  to  hold 
the  works,  which  would  now  serve  as  a  base,  the  army  again 
started  up  the  river,  the  water  column  proceeding  to  Tharawa, 
the  land  force  marching  back  to  Henzada,  whence  they  were 
carried  across  the  river  in  the  boats.  Here  the  force  was 
joined  by  the  reserve  column  from  Rangoon,  consisting  of 
several  companies  of  the  Royals  and  the  28th  Native  Infantry, 
with  a  supply  of  elephants  and  carriage  cattle  which  had 
arrived  from  Calcutta.  On  the  14th  Yuadit  was  again 
reached.  No  opposition  whatever  was  encountered,  indeed 
the  whole  country  was  deserted,  the  inhabitants  having  been 
ordered  away  by  the  Burmese  authorities  as  soon  as  the  fall  of 


DONABEW  189 

Donabew  was  known.  When  within  four  days'  march  of 
Prome,  two  native  officials  came  in  with  a  communication  to 
the  effect  that  the  Burmese  were  ready  to  treat  for  peace.  As 
it  was  known,  however,  that  reinforcements  were  on  their 
way  down  from  Ava,  it  was  evident  that  this  was  merely  a 
pretext  to  gain  time,  and  the  general  sent  word  that  when  he 
arrived  at  Prome  he  would  be  ready  to  open  negotiations  for 
peace. 

The  country  through  which  the  army  was  now  passing  was 
very  beautiful.  In  the  far  distance  on  the  left  the  mountains 
of  Aracan  could  be  seen,  while  on  the  right  the  country  was 
undulating,  richly  cultivated,  and  broken  by  clumps  of  tim- 
ber, with  a  background  of  the  range  of  hills  running  along 
near  the  Pegu  river.  On  the  24th  the  heights  of  Prome, 
eight  miles  away,  were  visible,  and  the  flotilla  could  be  seen 
lying  at  anchor  a  short  distance  below  the  town.  Messengers 
came  out  that  afternoon  to  endeavour  to  induce  the  general 
not  to  enter  it,  but  a  reply  was  sent  that  this  was  out  of  the 
question,  that  no  harm  would  befall  the  inhabitants,  and  that 
as  soon  as  he  entered,  the  general  would  be  ready  to  receive 
any  persons  qualified  to  treat  for  peace. 

Some  hours  before  daybreak  the  army  marched  forward, 
and  by  sunrise  were  close  to  the  town.  The  position  was 
found  to  be  extremely  strong.  Every  hill  commanding  the 
place  had  been  fortified  to  the  very  summit,  strong  stockades 
ran  in  every  direction,  and  it  was  evident  that  a  great  num- 
ber of  men  must  have  been  engaged  for  a  long  time  in  at- 
tempting to  render  the  place  impregnable. 

Not  a  soldier,  however,  was  to  be  found.  A  native  of 
the  place  presently  met  them  with  the  news  that  the  gov- 
ernor and  troops  had  evacuated  it,  with  the  exception  of  a 
small  party  who  were  firing  the  town.  This  story  was  cor- 
roborated by  wreaths  of  smoke  rising  at  various  points.     The 


190  ON    THE    IRRAWADDY 

troops  pressed  forward  at  the  top  of  their  speed  ;  on  entering 
the  town  they  found  that  the  native  population  had  all  been 
forced  to  leave,  and  piling  their  arms,  they  set  to  work  to  ex- 
tinguish the  flames,  which  they  did  not,  h@wever,  succeed  in 
doing  until  nearly  half  the  town  was  destroyed.  Fortunately 
the  fire  was  checked  before  it  reached  the  great  magazines  of 
grain  and  other  stores  for  the  army. 

The  belief  that  the  negotiations  had  been  only  pretexts  to 
arrest  the  advance  of  the  troops  against  the  town  until  the  ex- 
pected reinforcements  arrived  was  confirmed  by  the  natives, 
who  presently  came  in  from  hiding-places  where  they  had 
taken  refuge  until  their  army  retired.  They  said  that  as  soon 
as  the  news  came  of  the  fall  of  Donabew,  fresh  levies  were 
ordered  to  be  collected  in  every  part  of  Upper  Burma,  while 
the  whole  population  of  the  province  had  been  employed  in 
adding  to  the  defences  of  the  town,  which  had  been  already 
very  strongly  stockaded. 

It  was  a  disappointment  to  the  force,  which  had  hoped  that 
the  occupation  of  Prome  would  bring  about  the  submission  of 
the  court  of  Ava,  and  enable  them  to  be  taken  down  the  river 
in  boats,  and  embark  before  the  rainy  season  again  set  in. 
Nevertheless  the  prospect  of  passing  that  season  at  Prome  was 
vastly  more  pleasant  than  if  it  had  to  be  spent  at  Rangoon. 
They  were  now  inland  beyond  the  point  where  the  rains  were 
continuous.  The  town  was  situated  on  high  ground,  and  the 
country  round  was  open  and  healthy.  Although  for  some 
little  distance  round  the  cattle  had  been  driven  off  and  the 
villages  destroyed,  it  was  certain  that  flying  columns  would  be 
able  to  bring  in  any  amount  of  cattle  before  the  wet  season 
began. 

For  a  short  time  it  was  thought  that  the  occupation  of 
Prome  would  show  the  king  and  court  that  it  was  useless  to 
continue  the  struggle  any  longer,  but  these  hopes  were  dis- 


DONABEW  191 

sipated  when  it  was  known  that  a  further  levy  of  30,000  men 
had  been  called  out.  The  court,  however,  was  apparently 
conscious  that  its  commands  would  no  longer  be  obeyed  with 
the  alacrity  before  manifested.  The  early  levies  had  obeyed 
the  call  with  cheerfulness,  believing  in  their  invincibility,  and 
confident  that  they  would  return  home  laden  with  spoil,  after 
driving,  without  difficulty,  the  audacious  strangers  into  the 
sea.  Things,  however,  had  not  turned  out  so.  The  troops 
that  had  left  Ava  in  high  spirits  had  been  routed  with  very 
heavy  losses.  Their  great  general,  Bandoola,  had  been  killed, 
and  fugitives  from  the  army  were  scattered  over  the  land, 
bearing  with  them  reports  of  the  extraordinary  fighting  pow- 
ers of  these  white  enemies,  and  of  the  hopelessness  of  attempt- 
ing to  resist  them.  The  consequence  was  that  in  issuing  the 
order  for  the  new  levy,  a  bounty  of  twenty  pounds,  which  to 
the  Burmans  was  a  very  large  sum,  was  offered  to  each  man 
who  obeyed  the  call. 

The  first  step  on  the  part  of  the  British  general  was  to  send 
proclamations  through  the  country  guaranteeing  protection  to 
all,  and  inviting  the  population  to  return  to  their  towns  and 
villages.  The  troops  were  employed  in  erecting,  with  the 
assistance  of  as  much  native  labour  as  could  be  procured, 
comfortable  huts  outside  the  town,  so  that  the  natives  on  re- 
turning should  find  their  homes  unoccupied  and  untouched. 
It  was  not  long  before  this  excellent  policy  had  its  due  effect. 
As  soon  as  those  who  first  returned  sent  the  news  to  their 
friends,  the  fugitives  came  out  from  their  hiding-places  in  the 
forests  in  great  numbers  and  returned  to  the  city.  Those 
whose  homes  Were  still  standing,  settled  down  in  them  and 
resumed  their  ordinary  avocations,  just  as  if  their  native 
rulers  were  still  in  authority,  while  those  whose  houses  had 
.been  burned  set  to  work,  with  a  cheerfulness  characteristic  of 
their  race,  to  re-erect  their  light  wooden  dwellings. 


192  ON    THE    IRRAWADDY 

So  favourable  were  the  reports  spread  through  the  country 
of  our  conduct  that  in  a  short  time  the  population  of  Prome 
was  considerably  larger  than  it  had  been  before  the  advance 
of  our  army.  Similar  results  were  speedily  manifest  through- 
out the  whole  district  below  the  town.  From  the  great  forest 
that  covered  more  than  half  of  it,  the  villagers  poured  out, 
driving  before  them  herds  of  cattle,  and  in  two  or  three  months 
the  country  that  had  appeared  a  desert  became  filled  with  an 
industrious  population.  Order  was  established  ;  the  local  civil 
officers  were  again  appointed  to  their  former  posts,  but  their 
powers  of  oppression  and  intimidation  were  abrogated  by  the 
order  that  no  punishment  beyond  a  short  term  of  imprison- 
ment was  to  be  inflicted  on  any  person  whatever  until  the 
case  had  been  brought  before  the  British  authorities,  and 
soon  the  only  fear  entertained  by  the  people  of  the  rich 
district  of  the  lower  Irrawaddy  was  that  the  British  troops 
would  march  away  and  leave  them  again  to  the  oppression 
and  tyranny  of  their  former  masters. 

The  markets  of  Prome  were  abundantly  supplied  with  food 
of  all  sorts,  and  as  everything  was  liberally  paid  for,  any  num- 
ber of  bullocks  were  obtainable  ;  for  although  the  Burmese 
are  forbidden  by  their  religion  to  kill  cattle,  and  therefore 
keep  them  only  for  draught  purposes,  they  had  no  objection 
to  our  killing  them,  or  indeed  to  eat  the  meat  when  they 
could  obtain  it.  Labour  of  all  kinds  was  abundant,  and 
great  numbers  of  canoes  were  constructed  for  the  purpose 
of  bringing  up  supplies  from  the  villages  on  the  river,  and  for 
the  advance  of  the  force  at  the  end  of  the  wet  season.  Until 
this  set  in  in  earnest,  small  bodies  of  troops  marched  through 
the  forests,  driving  out  the  bands  that  infested  them,  and 
plundered  and  killed  the  country  people  without  mercy. 
The  general's  aides-de-camp  had  a  busy  time  of  it,  being 
constantly  employed  in  carrying  orders  to  the  towns  and  vil- 


DONABEW  193 

iages,  in  hearing  complaints,  and,  in  Stanley's  case,  entering 
into  agreements  for  the  purchase  of  cattle  and  grain. 

When  in  Prome  he  spent  a  good  deal  of  his  spare  time  with 
his  cousin,  who,  having  bought  a  horse,  frequently  obtained 
leave  to  accompany  him  on  his  excursions  on  duty,  A 
warm  friendship  had  sprung  up  between  them.  Harry  was 
two  years  older  than  Stanley,  and  had  been  at  Eton  up  to 
the  time  that  he  entered  the  army.  He  was,  however,  in 
manner  no  older  than  his  cousin,  whose  work  for  the  three 
years  previous  to  the  outbreak  of  the  war  had  rendered  him 
graver  and  more  manly  than  a  life  spent  among  lads  of  his 
own  age  could  have  done.  Meinik  always  accompanied 
Stanley  wherever  he  went.  He  had  now,  to  the  latter's 
quiet  amusement,  modified  his  Burmese  costume,  making  it 
look  like  that  of  some  of  the  whites,  and  indeed  he  would 
have  passed  without  notice  as  one  of  the  Goa-Portuguese 
mess  waiters  in  his  suit  of  white  nankeen.  When  riding,  or 
on  any  service  away  from  the  headquarter  camp,  he  was 
dressed  in  a  suit  of  tough  brown  khaki  which  he  had  ob- 
tained from  one  of  the  traders  at  Rangoon.  The  coat  differed 
but  little  from  that  of  the  suit  Stanley  had  handed  over  to 
him  except  that  it  was  somewhat  shorter  and  without  the 
small  shoulder  cape,  and  in  fact  resembled  closely  the  modern 
regimental  tunic.  Below  he  wore  knee-breeches  of  the  same 
material,  with  putties  or  long  bands  of  cloth,  wound  round 
and  round  the  leg,  and  which  possessed  many  advantages 
over  gaiters.  He  still  clung  to  the  turban,  but  instead  of 
being  white,  it  was  of  the  same  colour  as  his  clothes,  and  was 
much  larger  than  the  Burmese  turban. 

"  Burmese    are   great   fools,"    he    often    said    to    Stanley. 

"They  think  they  know  a  great  deal;    they  know  nothing 

at  all.     They  think  they  are  great  fighters  ;  they  are  no  good 

at  fighting,   for  one  Englishman  beats  ten  of  them.     Their 

13 


194  ON    THE   IRRAWADDY 

government  is  no  good — it  keeps  everyone  very  poor  and 
miserable.  You  come  here ;  you  know  nothing  of  the  coun- 
try, and  yet  you  make  everyone  comfortable.  We  ride  through 
the  villages ;  we  see  everyone  rejoicing  that  they  are  governed 
by  the  English,  and  hoping  that  the  English  will  never  go 
away  again.  What  do  you  think,  sir — will  you  stay  here 
always  ?  You  have  had  much  trouble  to  take  the  country ;  a 
great  many  people  have  been  ill ;  a  great  many  died.  Now 
you  have  got  it,  why  should  you  go  away  again  ?  " 

"  It  is  quite  certain  that  we  shall  not  give  it  all  up,  Meinik. 
It  has  been,  as  you  say,  a  troublesome  and  very  expensive 
business ;  and  the  farther  the  king  obliges  us  to  go  up  before 
he  makes  peace  the  more  he  will  have  to  pay,  either  in  money 
or  territory.  Of  course  I  cannot  say  what  the  terms  of  peace 
will  be;  but  I  should  think  that  very  likely  we  shall  hold  the 
country  from  the  sea  up  to  here,  with  Aracan  and  a  strip  along 
the  sea-coast  of  Tenasserim." 

"That  will  be  good,"  Meinik  said.  "I  shall  never  go 
outside  the  English  land  again.  There  will  be  plenty  to 
do,  and  a  great  trade  on  the  river ;  everyone  will  be  happy 
and  contented.  I  should  be  a  fool  to  go  back  to  Upper 
Burma,  where  they  would  chop  off  my  head  if  they  knew  that 
I  had  been  down  to  Rangoon  when  the  English  were  there." 


HARRY    CARRIED    OFF  195 

CHAPTER    XII 

HARRY     CARRIED     OFF 

EARLY  in  September  Stanley  was  sent  to  purchase  cattle 
from  some  of  the  villages  near  the  foot  of  the  hills,  and 
at  the  same  time  to  make  inquiries  as  to  the  movements  of  a 
large  band  of  marauders  who  had  been  making  raids  in  that 
neighbourhood.  He  had  with  him  four  troopers  of  the  body- 
guard ;  Harry  Brooke  accompanied  him.  Although  from  the 
healthier  situation  of  Prome  the  amount  of  illness  during  the 
wet  season  did  not  approach  that  which  had  been  suffered  at 
Rangoon,  a  great  many  men  were  in  hospital,  and  there  were 
many  deaths.  Harry  had  had  a  sharp  attack  of  fever,  and  as 
he  had  now  recovered  to  a  certain  extent,  the  medical  officer 
of  his  regiment  strongly  recommended  that  he  should  have 
a  change ;  and  he  therefore  without  difficulty  obtained  his 
colonel's  leave  to  accompany  Stanley,  as  the  ground  would 
be  much  higher  than  that  on  the  river,  and  the  mere  fact  of 
getting  away  from  a  camp  where  so  many  deaths  took  place 
every  day  would  in  itself  be  of  great  value. 

Stanley's  daily  journeys  were  not  likely  to  be  long  ones, 
as  he  had  instructions  to  stop  at  all  villages,  and  to  see 
how  things  were  going  on,  and  whether  the  people  had 
any  complaints  to  make  of  oppression  and  exaction  by 
their  local  authorities. 

"It  is  a  tremendous  pull  your  being  able  to  speak  the 
language,  Stanley,"  Harry  said.  "  If  it  hadn't  been  for 
that,  you  would  have  been  stuck  at  Prome  like  the  rest  of 
us.  Instead  of  that  you  are  always  about,  and  you  look 
as  fresh  and  healthy  as  if  you  were  at  a  hill  station  in  India." 

"Yes,   it  has  been  an  immense  advantage  to  me   in  all 


196  ON    THE    IRRAWADDY 

ways.  Of  course  I  should  never  have  got  my  staff  appoint- 
ment if  it  had  not  been  for  that.  By  the  way,  I  have  not 
told  you  that  while  you  were  down  with  the  fever  the  gazette 
containing  the  confirmation  of  my  appointment  by  the  gen- 
eral and  the  notice  of  my  commission,  dated  on  the  day 
of  my  appointment,  came  out.  I  had  quite  a  lump  sum 
to  draw,  for  although  I  have  been  paid  as  interpreter  all 
along,  the  paymaster  made  a  difficulty  about  my  pay  as  a 
subaltern  until  I  was  gazetted  regularly ;  so  I  have  quite 
a  large  sum  coming  to  me  on  my  pay  and  allowances.  I 
don't  know  how  you  stand  for  cash,  but  if  you  are  short  at 
all  I  can  let  you  have  anything  that  you  want." 

"  I  have  got  really  more  than  I  know  what  to  do  with, 
Stanley.  I  bought  an  uncommonly  good  native  horse,  as 
you  know,  six  weeks  ago,  and  I  am  going  to  ride  him  for 
the  first  time  now,  but,  really,  that  is  almost  the  first  penny 
that  I  have  spent  since  we  left  Rangoon.  There  is  nothing 
to  buy  here  except  food,  and  of  course  that  is  a  mess  business. 
I  had  an  idea  that  this  was  a  rich  country,  but  so  far  one  has 
seen  nothing  in  the  way  of  rich  dress  materials,  or  shawls,  or 
carpets,  or  jewelry  that  one  could  send  home  as  presents. 
Why,  in  India  I  was  always  being  tempted  ;  but  here  it  is 
certainly  the  useful  rather  than  the  ornamental  that  meets 
the  eye." 

"  I  saw  some  nice  things  at  Ava;  but,  of  course,  all  the 
upper  classes  bolted  as  we  came  up  the  country,  and  the 
traders  in  rich  goods  did  the  same.  Are  you  going  to 
take  a  servant  with  you,  Harry?  I  don't  think  that  there 
is  any  occasion  to  do  so,  for  Meinik  can  look  after  us  both 
well  enough." 

"  Yes,  I  am  thinking  of  taking  my  native,  the  man  I  hired 
just  after  I  got  here.  He  is  a  very  good  fellow,  and  made 
himself  very  useful  while  I  was  ill.      I  picked  up  a  tat  for  him 


HARRY    CARRIED    OFF  197 

yesterday  for  a  tew  rupees.  I  know  that  your  man  would  do 
very  well  for  us  both ;  but,  sometimes,  when  you  make  a  vil- 
lage your  headquarters  and  ride  to  visit  others  from  it,  I  may 
not  feel  well  enough  to  go  with  you,  and  then  he  would  come 
in  very  handy,  for  he  has  picked  up  a  good  many  words  of 
English.     Your  man  is  getting  on  very  well  that  way." 

"  Yes  ;  he  was  some  time  before  he  began,  for,  of  course, 
he  had  no  occasion  for  it ;  but  now  that  he  has  taken  to  what 
he  considers  an  English  costume,  and  has  made  up  his  mind 
that  he  will  never  settle  down  again  under  a  Burmese  govern- 
ment, he  has  been  trying  hard  to  pick  up  the  language.  I 
found  that  it  was  rather  a  nuisance  at  first,  when,  instead  of 
telling  him  what  was  wanted  in  his  own  language,  I  had  to 
tell  him  in  English,  and  then  translate  it  for  him.  How- 
ever, he  does  understand  a  good  deal  now,  and  whenever  he 
has  nothing  else  to  do  he  is  talking  with  the  soldiers.  Of 
course,  from  his  riding  about  so  much  with  me,  he  is  pretty 
well  known  now  ;  and  as  he  is  a  good-tempered,  merry  fellow 
he  makes  himself  at  home  with  them,  and  if  the  campaign  lasts 
another  six  months  I  think  he  will  speak  very  fair  English. ' ' 

"  I  fancy  that  you  will  have  to  make  up  your  mind  that  he 
is  a  permanency,  Stanley ;  I  am  sure  he  intends  to  follow  you 
wherever  you  go,  whether  it  is  to  England,  India,  or  any- 
where else." 

"  I  sha'n't  be  sorry  for  that,  Harry  ;  certainly  not  as  long 
as  I  am  out  here.  In  the  first  place  he  is  really  a  very  handy 
fellow,  and  ready  to  make  himself  useful  in  any  way  ;  then 
there  is  no  doubt  that  he  is  greatly  attached  to  me,  and  would 
go  through  fire  and  water  for  me.  A  man  of  that  sort  is  in- 
valuable to  anyone  knocking  about  as  I  shall  be  when  the  war 
is  over  and  I  take  up  trading  again.  His  only  fault  is  that  he 
is  really  too  anxious  to  do  things  for  me.  Of  course  when  I  am 
on  duty  there  is  nothing  much  he  can  do,  but  if  I  am  sitting 


198  ON    THE    IRRAWADDY 

in  a  room  he  will  squat  for  hours  in  the  corner  and  watch  me ; 
if  my  cheroot  gets  low,  there  he  is  with  a  fresh  one  and  a  light 
in  a  moment ;  if  I  drop  my  handkerchief  or  a  pen,  there  he  is 
with  it,  before  I  have  time  to  stoop.  Sometimes  I  have  really 
to  invent  errands  to  send  him  on,  so  as  to  give  him  something 
to  do  for  me.  I  own  that  I  have  not  contemplated  what  posi- 
tion he  would  occupy  if  I  go  trading,  but  I  quite  recognize 
that  he  will  go  with  me,  and  that  he  would  become  a  portion 
of  my  establishment,  even  if  that  establishment  consisted  only 
of  himself.  Will  you  be  ready  to  start  at  four  in  the  morning  ? 
The  sun  is  tremendously  hot  now  on  the  days  between  the 
rain ;  at  any  rate  it  will  be  much  better  for  you,  till  you 
get  your  strength,  to  travel  in  the  cool  of  the  morning  or 
in  the  evening." 

"  I  shall  be  ready.  I  will  be  round  here  with  my  servant 
by  that  hour.     By  the  way,  what  shall  I  bring  with  me?" 

"  Nothing  at  all ;  I  shall  take  a  couple  of  chickens  and 
some  bread  and  coffee  and  sugar,  and  a  bottle  of  brandy  for 
emergencies;  but  we  shall  have  no  difficulty  in  getting  food 
in  the  villages.  The  troopers  will  only  carry  their  day's 
rations  with  them  ;  after  that  I  always  act  as  mess  caterer, 
and  charge  expenses  when  I  get  back  here. ' ' 

Accordingly  the  next  morning  they  started  at  four  o'clock. 
Stanley  insisted  that  Harry  should  ride  his  second  horse  for 
the  present,  as  his  own,  having  been  six  weeks  without  ex- 
ercise, and  fed  very  much  better  than  it  had  been  accustomed 
to,  was  in  much  too  high  spirits  to  be  pleasant  for  an  invalid. 
Meinik,  therefore,  took  Harry's,  and  the  latter  rode  beside 
his  cousin,  whose  horse  had  had  abundant  exercise,  and  was 
well  content  to  canter  quietly  along  by  the  side  of  his  com- 
panion. By  the  end  of  ten  days  Harry  had  picked  up  some 
of  his  strength  ;  they  now  reached  a  village  which  Stanley 
decided  to  use  as  his  headquarters  for  a  few  days,  while  he 


HARRY    CARRIED    OFF  199 

made  excursions  to  other  places  within  a  day's  ride.  It  was 
a  good  place  for  a  halt,  standing  as  it  did  at  some  height  on 
the  hills,  where  the  air  was  much  cooler  at  night  than  in  the 
flat  country.  It  was  surrounded  by  a  clearing  of  about  a 
hundred  acres  in  extent,  planted  with  cacao  trees,  pepper, 
and  many  kinds  of  vegetables. 

"  This  is  delightful !  "  Harry  said,  as  they  sat  in  front  of 
the  hut  that  had  been  cleared  for  them  and  looked  over  the 
plain.  "It  must  be  twenty  degrees  cooler  here  than  it  was 
at  Prome.  I  think  I  shall  do  nothing  to-morrow,  Stanley, 
but  just  sit  here  and  enjoy  myself.  I  know  it  is  very  lazy, 
for  I  am  feeling  quite  myself  again  ;  still,  after  ten  days'  rid- 
ing I  do  think  that  it  will  be  pleasant  to  have  a  day's  rest." 

"  Do,  by  all  means,"  Stanley  said.  "  I  think  you  had 
better  stay  here  for  the  three  days  that  we  shall  remain. 
Your  man  is  a  very  good  cook,  and  there  is  no  lack  of  food. 
Those  chickens  we  had  just  now  were  excellent,  and  the 
people  have  promised  to  bring  in  some  game  to-morrow. 
There  are  plenty  of  snakes,  too,  and  you  lose  a  good  deal,  I 
can  assure  you,  by  turning  up  your  nose  at  them.  They  are 
just  as  good  as  eels,  as  Meinik  cooks  them,  stewed  with  a 
blade  of  cinnamon  and  some  hot  peppers.  I  cannot  see  that 
they  can  be  a  bit  more  objectionable  to  eat  than  eels  ;  indeed, 
for  anything  one  knows,  the  eel  may  have  been  feasting  on  a 
drowned  man  the  day  before  he  was  caught,  while  the  snakes 
only  take  a  meal  once  a  week  or  so,  and  then  only  a  small 
bird  of  some  kind." 

"  I  dare  say  that  you  are  quite  right,  Stanley,  and  I  own 
that  the  dishes  your  man  turns  out  look  tempting  ;  but  I 
cannot  bring  myself  to  try,  at  any  rate  as  long  as  I  can  get 
anything  else  to  eat.  If  I  knew  that  it  was  a  case  of  snake 
or  nothing  I  would  try  it,  but  till  then  I  prefer  sticking  to 
birds  and  beasts." 


200  ON    THE    IRRAWADDY 

The  next  morning  Stanley  rode  off  with  two  of  his  escort 
and  Meinik,  who  declined  altogether  to  be  left  behind. 

"  No,  master,"  he  said,  "  there  is  never  any  saying  when 
you  may  want  me,  and  what  should  I  ever  say  to  myself  if 
misfortune  were  to  come  to  you  and  I  were  not  to  be  there  ?  ' ' 

Stanley  had  a  long  day's  work.  As  a  rule  the  villagers 
had  few  complaints  to  make,  but  at  the  place  he  went  to  on 
this  occasion  the  head-man  had  been  behaving  as  in  the  old 
times,  and  Stanley  had  to  listen  to  a  long  series  of  complaints 
on  behalf  of  the  villagers.  The  case  was  fully  proved  both  as 
to  extortion  and  ill-treatment.  Stanley  at  once  deprived  the 
man  of  his  office,  and  called  upon  the  villagers  to  assemble 
and  elect  another  in  his  place. 

"If  you  are  not  satisfied,"  he  said  to  the  fellow,  "you 
can  go  to  Prome  and  appeal  to  the  general  there  ;  but  I  warn 
you  that  if  you  do  you  must  give  notice  to  the  villagers  of 
your  intention,  so  that  they  may,  if  they  choose,  send  two  or 
three  of  their  number  to  repeat  the  evidence  that  they  have 
given  me.  I  have  noted  this  fully  down,  and  I  can  tell  you 
that  the  general,  when  he  reads  it,  will  be  much  more  likely 
to  order  you  a  sound  flogging  than  to  reinstate  you  in  your 
office. ' ' 

It  was  dusk  when  Stanley  arrived  within  two  miles  of  the 
village  where  he  had  left  Harry.  Meinik,  who  was  riding 
just  behind  him,  brought  his  horse  up  alongside. 

"  Do  you  see  that,  sir  ?  There  is  a  light  in  the  sky.  It  is 
just  over  where  the  village  is.  I  am  afraid  there  is  a  fire 
there. ' ' 

"You  are  right,  Meinik.  I  hope  nothing  has  gone 
wrong."  He  touched  his  horse  with  his  heel,  and  rode  on 
at  a  gallop.  He  became  more  and  more  anxious  as  he  ap- 
proached the  village.  No  flames  could  be  seen  leaping  up, 
but  there  was  a  dull  glow  in  the  sky.     As  he  rode  into  the 


HARRY    CARRIED    OFF  201 

clearing  he  reined  up  his  horse  in  dismay.  A  number  of 
glowing  embers  alone  marked  the  place  where  the  village  had 
stood,  and  no  figures  were  to  be  seen  moving  about. 

"  There  has  been  foul  play,  Meinik.  Get  ready  for  action, 
men,"  he  said  to  the  two  troopers,  and  they  dashed  forward 
at  a  gallop.  Two  or  three  little  groups  of  people  were  sitting 
in  an  attitude  of  deep  dejection  by  the  remains  of  their 
houses. 

' '  What  has  happened  ?  ' '  Stanley  shouted  as  he  rode  up. 

' '  The  robbers  have  been  here,  and  have  slain  many  and 
burned  the  village." 

' '  Where  is  my  friend  ?  ' ' 

"  They  have  carried  him  off,  my  lord  ;  or  at  least  we  can- 
not find  his  body.  His  servant  and  one  of  the  soldiers  are 
lying  dead,  but  of  the  other  soldier  and  the  officer  there  are 
no  signs." 

"  This  is  terrible  !  "  Stanley  exclaimed.  "  Tell  me  exactly 
how  it  happened." 

"  It  was  four  hours  ago,  my  lord.  The  robbers  came  sud- 
denly out  from  the  plantation  and  fell  upon  the  people. 
Many  they  killed  at  once,  but  many  also  have  escaped  as  we 
did,  by  running  in  among  the  plantations,  and  so  into  the 
forest.  We  heard  the  firing  of  guns  for  a  little  time,  then 
everything  was  silent,  and  we  knew  that  the  robbers  were 
searching  the  houses.  Half  an  hour  later  smoke  rose  in  many 
places,  and  then  flames ;  then  after  a  time  all  was  quiet.  A 
boy  crept  up  among  the  bushes,  and  came  back  with  the  news 
that  they  had  all  gone.  Then  we  came  out  again.  Twenty- 
three  of  our  people  had  been  killed,  and  eight  carried  off,  at 
least  we  cannot  find  the  bodies ;  the  white  officer  and  one  of 
his  soldiers  have  gone  also." 

"  Which  way  did  they  go  ?  " 

"  The  tracks  show  that  they  went  up  the  hill.     Most  likely 


202  ON    THE    IRRAWADDY 

they  will  have  gone  to  Toungoo  if  they  have  gone  to  any 
town  at  all  •  but  indeed  we  think  they  have  taken  the  prison- 
ers to  get  a  reward  for  them." 

Stanley  had  thrown  himself  off  his  horse  as  he  rode  up, 
and  he  stood  for  some  time  silently  leaning  against  it.  Then 
he  said  to  Meinik  : 

"  Picket  the  horses,  and  then  come  and  have  a  talk  with 
me."  Then  he  turned  to  the  two  troopers:  "There  is 
nothing  to  be  done  now,"  he  said.  "You  had  better  look 
about  and  see  what  you  can  find  in  the  way  of  food,  and 
then  get  a  grave  dug  for  your  comrade  and  another  for  Mr. 
Brooke's  servant." 

The  two  Mahommedan  troopers  saluted,  and  led  their 
horses  away.  Meinik,  after  picketing  the  animals,  returned 
to  Stanley,  but,  seeing  that  the  latter  was  pacing  up  and 
down  and  evidently  not  disposed  to  speak,  he  went  away. 
There  were  a  good  many  fowls  walking  about  in  a  bewildered 
way  near  the  huts.  They  had  been  away  as  usual  searching 
for  food  in  the  plantations  and  fields  when  the  robber  band 
arrived,  and  on  their  return  home  at  dusk  had  found  every- 
thing changed.  A  boy  at  once  caught  and  killed  two  of 
these,  plucked  them  and  brought  them  to  Meinik,  who,  get- 
ting some  embers  from  the  fires,  cut  the  fowls  in  two  and  put 
them  on  to  roast.  A  few  minutes  sufficed  to  cook  them.  As 
soon  as  they  were  ready  Meinik  took  them  to  Stanley. 

"You  must  eat,  master,"  he  said.  "You  have  had  noth- 
ing since  we  started  this  morning,  and  sorrow  alone  makes 
a  poor  supper.  You  will  want  to  do  something,  I  know,  and 
will  need  all  your  strength." 

"  You  are  right,  Meinik.  Yes,  give  me  one  of  them,  and 
take  the  other  one  yourself,  and  while  we  eat,  we  can  talk. 
Of  course  I  must  make  an  effort  to  rescue  my  cousin  from 
the  hands  of  this  band." 


HARRY    CARRIED    OFF  203 

"  Yes,  master,  I  knew  that  you  would  do  that." 

"  Did  you  ask  how  many  there  were  of  them,  Meinik?  " 

"  Some  say  forty,  some  say  sixty." 

"  If  we  knew  where  they  are  now,  and  could  come  up  to 
them,  we  might  manage  to  get  them  off  while  the  robbers 
were  asleep. ' ' 

Meinik  shook  his  head.  "  They  are  sure  to  keep  a  strict 
guard  over  a  white  officer,"  he  said  ;  "  but  if  we  rushed  in 
and  shouted  and  fired  pistols  they  might  all  run  away. ' ' 

••  I  am  afraid  not,  Meinik.  There  might  be  a  scare  for 
a  minute,  but  directly  they  saw  that  there  were  only  two  of  us 
they  would  turn  and  kill  us.  Your  people  are  brave  enough  ; 
they  may  feel  that  they  cannot  stand  against  our  troops  owing 
to  our  discipline,  but  they  fight  bravely  hand-to-hand.  How- 
ever, we  don't  know  exactly  which  way  they  have  gone,  and 
it  would  be  hopeless  to  search  for  them  in  the  forest  during 
the  darkness.     What  should  they  go  to  Toungoo  for  ?  " 

••  I  have  been  thinking  it  over,  master,  and  it  seems  to  me 
that  many  of  them  may  belong  there  or  to  the  villages  near. 
They  may  not  dare  return  to  their  homes,  because  they  are 
afraid  that  they  would  be  punished  for  having  left  the  army, 
and  would  certainly  be  sent  off  again  to  it.  Now  they  may 
think  that  if  they  go  back  with  a  white  officer  and  soldier, 
and  tell  some  story  of  having  beaten  a  great  many  English, 
they  will  be  rewarded,  and  may  even  be  able  to  remain  some 
time  in  their  homes  before  they  are  sent  off,  or  they  may  be 
ordered  to  march  with  their  prisoners  to  Ava,  where  they 
would  get  still  more  reward.  I  can  see  no  other  reason  for 
their  carrying  off  the  officer." 

' '  I  think  very  likely  that  is  so,  Meinik.  Anyhow  we  are 
more  likely  to  rescue  my  cousin  at  Toungoo  than  we  should 
be  while  on  the  road.  It  would  be  next  to  impossible  to 
find  them  among  all  the  hills  and  trees,  and   even  if  we  did 


204  ON    THE    IRRAWADDY 

come  upon  them  at  night,  and  could  creep  into  the  midst  of 
them,  we  might  find  that  my  cousin  is  too  severely  wounded 
to  travel,  for,  as  there  was  a  fight,  it  is  almost  certain  he 
must  have  been  wounded  before  he  was  captured.  There- 
fore, I  think  it  is  best  to  make  straight  for  Toungoo.  How 
many  miles  is  it  from  here,  do  you  think  ?  " 

Meinik  went  over  to  the  natives  and  asked  the  question. 
"  About  forty-five  miles,  they  say  ;  very  bad  travelling  ;  all 
mountains,  but  ten  miles  to  the  north  is  a  road  that  runs 
straight  there." 

"  Then  we  had  better  follow  that,  Meinik.  In  this  broken 
country  and  forest  we  should  be  losing  our  way  continually." 

"  How  will  you  go,  master?     On  horse  or  foot  ?  " 

' '  We  will  go  on  horseback  as  far  as  we  can  ;  we  are  not 
likely  to  meet  people  travelling  along  the  road  at  present. 
Another  thing  is  that,  if  we  can  get  the  horses  as  near  the 
town  as  possible,  they  would  be  very  useful,  for  if  Mr.  Brooke 
has  been  wounded  badly  he  may  not  be  able  to  walk  far. 
You  do  not  know  whether  the  country  near  the  town  is  open 
or  whether  the  forests  approach  it  closely?  " 

The  natives  were  again  applied  to. 

"  It  is  a  rich  country  there,  they  say,  and  well  cultivated 
for  five  or  six  miles  round  the  town." 

"  I  will  go  and  have  a  talk  with  them  presently.  '  It  will, 
of  course,  be  necessary  for  me  to  disguise  myself  again." 

Meinik  nodded.     "Yes,  you  must  do  that,  master." 

"  Do  you  think  that  we  can  get  two  or  three  men  to  go 
with  us  from  here  ?  " 

"  If  you  will  pay  them,  master,  no  doubt  they  will  be 
ready  to  go.  They  are  well  content  with  the  white  rulers. 
They  find  that  they  are  not  oppressed,  and  everything  is  paid 
for,  and  that  the  white  officers  treat  them  kindly  and  well. 
They  have  lost  many  things  in  this  affair  to-day,  and  would 


HARRY    CARRIED    OFF  205 

be  glad  to  earn  a  little  money.     How  many  would  you  like 
to  have  ?  ' ' 

"  Four  or  five,  Meinik.  I  don't  exactly  know  at  present 
what  there  would  be  for  them  to  do,  but  they  could  help  to 
make  fires  and  keep  watch  while  we  are  doing  something ; 
at  any  rate,  they  may  be  useful.  Of  course,  I  shall  get  the 
trooper  out  too  if  I  can.  Very  likely  they  will  be  confined 
together,  and  if  we  rescue  one  we  can  of  course  rescue  the 
other.  Now  I  must  do  some  writing.  Get  me  a  torch  of 
some  sort  and  I  will  do  it  while  you  are  speaking  to  the 
natives." 

Stanley  always  carried  a  note -book  and  pen  and  ink  to  take 
down  statements  and  complaints  as  he  rode  about.  He  now 
sat  down  and  wrote  an  account  of  what  had  taken  place  dur- 
ing his  absence. 

"  We  had  no  previous  news  of  the  existence  of  the  band," 
he  went  on,  "  and  the  natives  themselves  had  certainly  no  fear 
of  any  attack  being  imminent.  Had  I  thought  that  there  was 
the  slightest  risk  I  should  not  have  made  the  village  my  head- 
quarters, or  have  left  Mr.  Brooke  there  with  only  his  servant 
and  two  troopers.  I  regret  the  matter  most  deeply,  and  am 
about  to  set  off  to  Toungoo  with  my  man.  I  shall,  of  course, 
go  in  disguise,  and  shall  make  every  endeavour  to  free  my 
cousin.  I  trust,  General,  that  you  will  grant  me  leave  for 
this  purpose.  I  am,  of  course,  unable  to  say  how  long  it  may 
take  me;  but,  however  long,  I  shall  persevere  until  I  learn 
that  my  cousin  is  dead  or  until  I  am  myself  killed.  I  trust 
that  in  starting  at  once,  on  the  assumption  that  you  will 
grant  me  leave,  I  am  not  committing  a  breach  of  duty.  But 
if  so,  and  you  feel  that  you  cannot,  under  the  circumstances 
in  which  you  are  placed,  grant  leave  to  an  officer  to  be  absent 
on  private  business,  I  inclose  a  formal  resignation  of  my  com- 
mission, stating  why  I  feel  myself  constrained,  even  in  the  pre- 


206  ON    THE    IRRAWADDY 

sence  of  the  enemy,  to  endeavour  to  rescue  my  cousin  from  the 
band  that  has  carried  him  off.  At  any  rate,  it  could  not  be 
said  that  I  resigned  in  order  to  shirk  danger.  I  sent  off,  two 
days  ago,  by  one  of  the  natives  here,  a  report  of  my  proceed- 
ings up  to  that  date,  and  have  now  the  honour  to  inclose  the 
notes  I  took  of  my  investigations  to-day  into  the  conduct  of 
the  head-man  of  Pilboora,  and  my  reasons  for  depriving  him 
of  his  office.  I  shall  leave  the  two  troopers  of  my  escort  here, 
with  orders  to  remain  until  either  I  return,  or  they  receive  in- 
structions from  Prome.  I  am  taking  a  few  of  the  villagers 
with  me.  Should  anything  occur  to  me  at  Toungoo  they 
will  bring  back  the  news  to  the  troopers,  and  I  shall  leave  in- 
structions with  them  to  carry  it  at  once  to  you.  If  I  find 
that  Mr.  Brooke  has  been  sent  on  to  Ava  I  shall,  of  course, 
follow  and  endeavour  to  effect  his  rescue  on  the  road.  As  it 
is  possible,  General,  that  I  may  not  have  another  opportunity 
of  thanking  you  for  the  many  kindnesses  that  you  have  shewn 
me,  allow  me  to  do  so  most  heartily  now." 

When  Stanley  had  concluded  the  letter,  and  written  the 
paper  offering  his  resignation  and  giving  his  reasons  for  so 
doing,  he  called  Meinik  to  him. 

"Well,  Meinik,  have  you  found  men  willing  to  go  with 
us?  " 

"  Yes,  master,  I  have  got  five  men  ;  two  of  them  know  Toun- 
goo well.  All  are  stout  fellows.  I  offered  them  the  terms 
that  you  mentioned,  fifty  ounces  of  silver  to  each  man  if  you 
succeeded  by  their  aid  in  rescuing  the  officer.  They  were 
delighted  at  the  offer,  which  would  enable  them  to  replace 
everything  that  they  have  lost.  I  told  them,  of  course,  that 
if  it  were  necessary  to  fight  they  would  have  to  do  so,  and 
that  as  many  of  their  countrymen  were  enlisted  as  gun-lascars 
and  in  other  occupations  with  the  English,  and  are  of  course 
exposed  to  the  attacks  of  their  countrymen,  they  would  only 


HARRY    CARRIED    OFF  207 

be  doing  what  others  have  been  willing  to  do.  They  said 
that  they  were  ready  enough  to  fight.  You  were  the  gov- 
ernment now,  and  you  were  a  good  government,  and  they 
would  fight  for  you ;  and,  besides,  as  the  officer  was  carried 
off  from  their  village  it  was  their  duty  to  help  to  get  him 
back.  One  of  them  said,  '  These  men  who  attacked  us  are 
Burmese  soldiers.  As  they  attack  us  there  is  no  reason  why 
we  should  not  attack  them.'  So  I  think,  master,  that  you 
can  count  upon  them.  The  Burmese  have  always  been  fond 
of  fighting,  because  fighting  means  booty  ;  the  troops  don't 
want  to  fight  any  more,  because  they  get  no  booty,  and  a 
number  of  them  are  killed.  But  now  that  the  villagers 
have  been  forced  to  go  to  the  war  against  their  will,  and  have 
been  plundered  and  many  killed  by  Burmese  soldiers,  they 
are  quite  ready  to  take' sides  with  you.  Three  of  them  have 
had  wives  or  children  killed  to-day,  and  that  makes  them  full 
of  fight." 

"  Well,  you  had  better  tell  them  to  cook  at  once  food  for 
two  or  three  days.  At  four  o'clock  they  are  to  start  through 
the  forest  to  the  road  you  spoke  of.  We  will  set  out  at  the 
same  time  on  horseback,  but  we  shall  have  to  make  a  detour, 
so  they  will  be  on  the  road  before  we  are.  Tell  them  when 
they  get  there  to  stop  until  we  come  up." 

';  Yes,  master.  It  is  a  good  thing  that  I  rode  your  second 
horse  yesterday  instead  of  Mr.  Brooke's  animal." 

'•'  Yes.  he  is  worth  a  good  deal  more  than  the  other,  Meinik, 
and  I  should  certainly  have  been  sorry  to  lose  him." 

"  One  of  the  men  who  is  going  with  us  says  that  he  knows 
of  the  ruins  of  an  old  temple  eight  or  nine  miles  this  side 
of  Toungoo,  and  that  this  would  be  a  good  place  for  us  to 
leave  our  horses.  It  is  very,  very  old,  one  of  those  built  by 
the  people  who  lived  in  the  land  before  we  came  to  it,  and 
the  Burmans  do  not  like  to  go  near  it,  so  that  there  would  be 


2\)S  ON    THE    IRRAWADDY 

no  fear  of  our  being  disturbed  there.  Even  these  men  do  not 
much  like  going  there,  but  I  told  them  that  no  evil  spirits 
would  come  where  white  men  were." 

"It  is  rather  far  off,  Meinik,  but  as  you  say  the  country  is 
cultivated  for  some  distance  round  the  town,  we  shall  certainly 
have  to  leave  our  horses  some  six  or  seven  miles  away,  and 
two  or  three  miles  will  not  make  much  difference.  We  can 
put  on  our  disguises  there.  You  had  better  take  a  couple  of 
boys  to  look  after  the  horses  while  we  are  away." 

"  They  would  not  sleep  there  at  night,"  Meinik  said  doubt- 
fully. "  I  don't  think  the  men  would  either,  if  you  were  not 
there. ' ' 

"That  would  not  matter,  Meinik,  if,  as  you  say,  there  is 
no  fear  of  anyone  else  going  there. ' ' 

"  Certainly,  no  one  else  will  go  there  at  night,  master." 

"  At  any  rate  if  you  can  get  two  boys  to  go  we  may  as 
well  take  them.  They  might  go  there  in  the  day  and  feed 
and  water  the  horses,  and  sleep  some  distance  away  at  night. ' ' 

Meinik  found  two  boys  sixteen  years  old,  who  said  that 
they  would  go  with  them,  and  at  the  hour  agreed  on  Stanley 
and  Meinik  started  on  horseback.  They  descended  the  hill 
to  the  plain  at  its  foot,  and,  turning  to  the  right,  rode  for 
some  ten  or  twelve  miles,  when  they  struck  into  the  road,  and 
following  this  at  an  easy  pace  they  came  in  the  course  of  an- 
other hour  upon  the  party  of  villagers  sitting  by  the  roadside. 
The  sun  was  just  rising,  and  they  travelled  for  three  hours 
without  meeting  anyone  ;  then  they  drew  off  into  the  wood  at 
a  point  where  a  small  stream  crossed  the  road,  and,  after  eat- 
ing a  meal,  and  giving  a  good  feed  to  the  horses,  lay  down  to 
sleep  till  the  heat  of  the  day  abated,  the  natives,  who  were 
all  armed  with  spears  and  swords,  keeping  watch  by  turns. 
At  four  o'clock  they  started  again,  and  at  ten  approached  the 
spot  where,  in  the  depth  of  the  wood,  lay  the  temple.    The  man 


HARRY    CARRIED    OFF  209 

who  knew  its  position  declared,  however,  that  he  could  not 
find  it  at  night.  Stanley  had  no  doubt  that  he  was  really 
afraid  to  go  there,  but  as  he  did  not  wish  to  press  them  against 
their  will,  he  said  carelessly  that  it  made  no  difference  if  they 
halted  there  or  close  by  the  road,  and,  a  fire  being  speedily 
lit,  they  bivouacked  round  it.  Meinik  had  procured  the  neces- 
sary dyes  from  a  village,  and  Stanley  was  again  stained,  and 
covered  with  tattoo  marks,  as  before. 

"  What  am  I  to  do  about  your  hair,  master  ?  "  he  asked. 
"  It  will  never  do  for  you  to  go  like  this." 

Stanley  had  not  thought  of  this  point,  and  for  a  time  was 
completely  at  a  loss.  His  own  hair  was  now  short  and  could 
not  possibly  be  turned  up. 

"The  only  thing  that  I  can  see,"  he  said  after  a  long 
pause,  "  is  for  you  and  the  men  each  to  cut  off  a  lock  of  hair 
from  the  top  of  your  heads  where  it  will  not  show.  The  six 
locks  would  be  ample;  but  I  don't  see  how  you  are  to  fasten 
it  below  the  turban." 

"  There  are  berries  we  can  get  wax  from,"  Meinik  said. 
"We  boil  them  in  water,  and  the  wax  floats  at  the  top. 
With  that,  master,  we  could  fasten  the  hair  in  among  yours,  so 
that  it  would  look  all  right." 

The  men  had  all  laughed  at  the  proposal,  but  willingly 
consented  to  part  with  a  portion  of  their  hair.  Meinik 
therefore  proceeded  to  stain  Stanley's  close  crop  black,  and 
the  first  thing  in  the  morning  the  boys  went  out,  soon  return- 
ing with  a  quantity  of  berries.  Some  water  was  poured  over 
them  in  an  earthenware  pot  and  placed  over  the  fire,  and  in 
half  an  hour  a  thick  scum  of  oil  gathered  on  the  surface. 
Meinik  skimmed  it  off  as  fist  as  it  formed,  and  as  it  cooled  it 
solidified  into  a  tenacious  mass  somewhat  resembling  cobblers' 
wax.  The  six  locks  of  hair  had  already  been  cut  off,  and  the 
ends  were  smeared  with  the  wax  and  worked  in  among  Stan- 


210  ON    THE    IRRAWADDY 

ley's  own  hair;  then  a  little  of  the  hot  wax  was  rubbed  in, 
and  the  men  all  declared  that  no  one  would  notice  anything 
peculiar  in  his  appearance.  The  long  tresses  were  curled 
round  at  the  top  of  the  head  and  a  ring  of  muslin  tied  round. 
The  Burmans  were  immensely  amused  at  the  transformation 
that  had  been  wrought  in  Stanley's  appearance,  and  followed 
him  through  the  wood  to  the  temple  without  any  signs  of 
nervousness. 

The  ruins  were  extensive.  A  considerable  portion  of  the 
building  had  been  hewn  out  of  the  face  of  a  precipitous  rock 
in  the  manner  of  some  Hindoo  temples  ;  and  it  was  evident 
that  it  had  been  the  work  of  a  people  more  closely  allied  to  the 
Indian  race  than  to  the  Tartar  or  Chinese  people,  from  whom 
the  Burmese  sprung.  Uncouth  figures  were  sculptured  on 
the  walls.  At  these  the  Burmese  looked  with  some  awe,  but 
as  Stanley  laughed  and  joked  over  them,  they  soon  recovered 
their  usual  demeanour. 

"  I  am  a  great  deal  more  afraid  of  tigers  than  of  ghosts," 
Stanley  said;  "a  deserted  place  like  this  is  just  the  sort  of 
spot  they  would  be  likely  to  be  in.  At  any  rate,  if  these 
caves  do  not  go  any  further  into  the  hill,  and  there  are  no 
signs  of  their  doing  so,  it  may  be  hoped  that  the  tigers  have 
their  superstitions  about  it,  too.  At  any  rate,  it  will  be  a  good 
thing  to  pile  a  great  quantity  of  firewood  at  the  entrance ; 
and  I  think  one  of  you  had  better  stay  here  with  the  boys. 
They  and  the  horses  would  be  a  great  deal  safer  here,  with  a 
fire  burning,  than  they  would  be  in  the  woods,  where  a  tiger 
might  pounce  upon  them  at  any  moment.  As  to  this  folly 
about  spirits,  it  is  only  old  women's  chatter." 

The  Burmese  talked  among  themselves,  and  one  of  the  men 
finally  agreed  to  stay  with  the  boys.  An  hour  was  spent  in 
gathering  a  pile  of  brushwood  and  logs,  and  the  man  said  that 
he  and  the  two  boys  would  gather  plenty  more  during  the  day. 


HARRY    CARRIED    OFF  211 

They  were,  at  four  o'clock,  to  take  the  horses  down  to  the 
river,  a  mile  distant,  and  let  them  drink  their  fill.  They  had 
brought  with  them  a  large  bag  of  grain,  which  had  been  car- 
ried by  the  men,  a  quantity  of  plantains,  and  some  fowls. 
Therefore,  the  party  that  were  to  remain  would  be  well  pro- 
vided. Moreover,  in  collecting  the  wood  a  score  of  snakes 
had  been  killed.  Some  of  these  and  a  chicken  had  been 
cooking  while  they  were  at  work,  and  as  soon  as  this  was 
eaten  they  started  for  the  town.  When  they  came  within  a 
mile  of  it  Stanley  entered  a  plantation  of  fruit-trees,  and 
Meinik  and  the  four  men  went  on.  They  returned  in  two 
hours  with  the  news  that  a  party  of  ten  men  had  arrived  in 
the  town  on  the  previous  day  with  two  prisoners.  One,  a 
coloured  man,  had  been  able  to  walk  ;  the  other,  a  white 
man,  had  been  carried  in  on  a  litter.  They  had  both  been 
lodged  in  the  jail. 

By  this  time  the  conduct  of  the  English  towards  the  natives 
at  Rangoon  and  the  territory  they  occupied  had  had  one 
good  effect.  Signally  as  they  had  been  defeated  by  them, 
the  Burmese  had  lost  their  individual  hatred  of  the  strangers. 
They  knew  that  their  wounded  and  prisoners  always  received 
kind  treatment  at  their  hands ;  and  although  the  court  of 
Ava  remained  as  arrogant  and  bigoted  as  ever,  the  people  in 
lower  Burma  had  learned  to  respect  their  invaders,  and  the 
few  prisoners  they  had  taken  received  much  better  treatment 
than  those  who  had  been  captured  at  the  commencement  of 
the  war. 

As  soon  as  it  was  dusk  Stanley  went  with  Meinik  into  the 
town.  It  was  a  place  of  considerable  size,  with  buildings  at 
least  equal  to  those  at  Prome.  Toungoo  had  formed  part  of 
the  kingdom  of  Pegu  before  it  had  been  subdued  by  the  Bur- 
mese. The  peculiar  and  characteristic  facial  outline  of  the 
latter  was  here  much  less  strongly  marked,  and  in  many  cases 


212  ON    THE    IRRAWADDY 

entirely  absent ;  so  Stanley  felt  that,  even  in  daylight,  he  would 
pass  without  attracting  any  attention.  The  prison  was  sur- 
rounded by  a  strong  and  high  bamboo  fence,  and  in  the  space 
inclosed  by  this  were  eight  or  ten  dwellings  of  the  usual 
wooden  construction.  A  dozen  armed  men  were  seated  by  a 
fire  in  the  yard,  and  two  sentries  were  carelessly  leaning 
against  the  gate. 

"  There  should  be  no  difficulty  in  getting  in  there  with  two 
rope-ladders — one  to  climb  up  with,  and  one  to  drop  on  the 
other  side,"  Stanley  said.  "  You  may  be  sure  that  most  of 
the  guard  go  to  sleep  at  night.  The  first  thing  to  ascertain 
is  which  house  the  prisoners  are  kept  in,  and  in  the  second 
place#iow  my  cousin  is  going  on.  We  can  do  nothing  until 
he  is  able  to  walk  for  a  short  distance.  Let  us  move  round  to 
the  other  side  of  the  inclosure.  It  may  be  that  a  sentry  is 
posted  at  their  door." 

On  getting  to  the  other  side  and  looking  through  the 
crevices  between  the  bamboos,  they  could  make  out  two  fig- 
ures squatted  by  the  door  of  one  of  the  houses,  and  had  no 
doubt  that  this  was  the  one  in  which  Harry  Brooke  was  con- 
fined. 

"  Now,  Meinik,  the  first  thing  is  for  you  to  go  and  buy  a 
rope.  When  the  place  gets  quite  quiet  we  will  make  a  loop 
and  throw  it  over  the  top  of  the  palisade  behind  that  hut, 
then  I  will  climb  up  and  let  myself  down  inside,  and  then 
crawl  up  to  the  hut  and  see  what  is  going  on  there.  If  my 
cousin  is  alone  I  will  endeavour  to  speak  to  him,  but  of  course 
there  may  be  a  guard  inside  as  well  as  at  the  door.  If  he  is 
very  ill  there  will  probably  be  a  light." 

"  Let  me  go,  master  !  " 

"  No,  Meinik,  I  would  rather  go  myself.  I  shall  be  able  to 
judge  how  he  is  if  I  can  catch  a  sight  of  him." 


PREPARING    A   RESCUE  £i3 


CHAPTER  XIII 


PREPARING    A    RESCUE 


STANLEY  remained  where  he  was  until  Meinik  returned 
in  half  an  hour  with  the  rope.  Stanley  made  a  loop  at 
one  end,  and  then  knotted  it  at  distances  of  about  a  foot 
apart  to  enable  him  to  climb  it  more  easily.  Then  they 
waited  until  the  guard-fire  burnt  down  low,  and  most  of  the 
men  went  off  into  a  hut  a  few  yards  distant,  three  only  re- 
maining talking  before  the  fire.  Then  Stanley  moved  round 
to  the  other  side  of  the  palisade,  and,  choosing  a  spot  im- 
mediately behind  the  hut  where  the  sentries  were  posted, 
threw  up  the  rope.  It  needed  many  attempts  before  the  loop 
caught  at  the  top  of  one  of  the  bamboos.  As  soon  as  it  did 
so,  he  climbed  up.  He  found  that  the  position  was  an  ex- 
ceedingly unpleasant  one.  The  bamboos  were  all  so  cut  that 
each  of  them  terminated  in  three  spikes,  and  so  impossible 
was  it  to  cross  this  that  he  had  to  slip  down  the  rope  again. 
On  telling  Meinik  what  was  the  matter,  the  latter  at  once 
took  off  his  garment,  and  folded  it  up  into  a  roll  two  feet 
long. 

"  If  you  lay  that  on  the  top,  master,  you  will  be  able  to 
cross." 

This  time  Stanley  had  little  difficulty.  On  reaching  the 
top  he  laid  the  roll  on  the  bamboo  spikes,  and  was  able  to 
raise  himself  on  to  it  and  sit  there,  while  he  pulled  up  the 
rope  and  dropped  it  on  the  inside.  Descending,  he  at  once 
began  to  crawl  towards  the  hut.  As  he  had  seen  before  climb- 
ing, a  light  was  burning  within,  and  the  window  was  at  the 
back  of  the  house.  This  was  but  some  twenty  yards  from  the 
palisade,  and  when  he  reached  it  he  stood  up  and  cautiously 


214  ON    THE    1RRAWADDY 

looked  in.  The  Indian  trooper  was  seated  in  a  chair  asleep, 
without  his  tunic.  One  arm  was  bandaged,  and  a  blood- 
stained cloth  was  wrapped  round  his  head.  On  a  bamboo 
pallet,  with  a  dark  rug  thrown  over  it,  was  another  figure. 
The  lamp  on  the  wall  gave  too  feeble  a  light  for  Stanley  to  be 
able  to  make  out  whether  the  figure  lying  there  was  Harry, 
but  he  had  no  doubt  that  it  was  so.  In  a  low  tone  he  said, 
in  Hindustani,  "Wake  up,  man!"  The  soldier  moved  a 
little.  Stanley  repeated  the  words  in  a  somewhat  louder  tone, 
and  the  trooper  sprang  to  his  feet,  and  looked  round  in  a 
bewildered  way. 

"  Come  to  the  window,"  Stanley  said;  "it  is  I,  your  of- 
ficer." 

The  man's  glance  turned  to  the  window;  but,  surprised 
at  seeing  a  Burmese  peasant,  as  he  supposed,  instead  of  the 
officer,  he  stood  hesitating. 

"  Come  on,"  Stanley  said.      "  I  am  Lieutenant  Brooke." 

The  soldier  recognized  the  voice,  drew  himself  up,  made 
the  military  salute,  and  then  stepped  to  the  window. 

"I  have  come,"  Stanley  said,  "  to  try  and  rescue  Lieu- 
tenant Brooke  and  yourself.  I  have  some  friends  without. 
How  is  he  ?  " 

"  He  is  very  ill,  sir.  He  is  badly  wounded,  and  is  uncon- 
scious. Sometimes  he  lies  for  hours  without  moving,  some- 
times he  talks  to  himself,  but  as  I  cannot  understand  the  lan- 
guage I  know  not  what  he  says ;  but  sometimes  he  certainly 
calls  upon  you.  He  uses  your  name  often.  I  do  what  I  can 
for  him,  but  it  is  very  little.  I  bathe  his  forehead  with 
water,  and  pour  it  between  his  lips.  Of  course  he  can  eat 
nothing,  but  I  keep  the  water  my  rice  is  boiled  in,  and  when 
it  is  cool  give  it  him  to  drink.     There  is  some  strength  in  it." 

"Then  nothing  can  be  done  at  present,"  Stanley  said. 
"  To-morrow  night  I  will  bring  some  fruit.    You  can  squeeze 


PREPARING    A    RESCUE  '-ilo 

the  juice  of  some  limes  into  a  little  water,  and  give  it  to  him. 
There  is  nothing  better  for  fever.  As  soon  as  he  is  well 
enough  for  us  to  get  him  through  the  palisades,  we  will  have  a 
litter  ready  for  him,  and  carry  him  off;  but  nothing  can  be 
done  until  then.      How  are  you  treated?  " 

"  They  give  me  plenty  of  rice,  sahib,  and  I  am  at  liberty 
to  go  out  into  the  courtyard  in  the  daytime,  and  now  that 
I  know  that  you  are  near  I  shall  have  no  fear.  I  have  been 
expecting  that  they  would  send  me  to  Ava,  where,  no  doubt, 
they  would  kill  me  ;  but  I  have  thought  most  that  if  they  were 
to  send  me  away  from  here,  and  there  was  no  one  to  look 
after  the  sahib,  he  would  surely  die." 

At  this  moment  Stanley  felt  a  hand  roughly  placed  on  his 
shoulder.  Turning  round,  he  struck  out  with  all  his  strength 
full  in  a  man's  face,  and  he  fell  like  a  log. 

"  If  they  ask  you  who  was  here,"  he  said  hastily  to  the 
trooper,  "say  that  you  know  not  who  it  was.  A  Burmese 
came  and  spoke  to  you,  but  of  course  you  thought  that  he  was 
one  of  the  guard." 

Then  he  ran  to  the  rope,  climbed  up,  and  as  he  got  over 
pulled  it  up,  and  threw  it  down  to  Meinik,  as  he  thought  that 
there  might  be  some  difficulty  in  shaking  it  off  from  the  bam- 
boo, then  he  dropped  to  the  ground,  bringing  down  the  pad 
with  him. 

"  Did  you  kill  him,  master?  "  Meinik  asked  as  they  hur- 
ried away.  "  I  was  watching  the  window  and  saw  you  talk- 
ing to  someone  inside  ;  then  I  saw  a  man  suddenly  come  into 
the  light  and  put  his  hand  upon  you,  and  saw  you  turn  round, 
and  he  fell  without  a  sound  being  heard." 

"There  is  no  fear  of  his  being  killed,  Meinik.  I  simply 
hit  him  hard,  and  he  went  down,  I  have  no  doubt,  stunned. 
It  is  unfortunate,  but  though  they  may  set  extra  guards  for  a 
time  I  think  they  will  not  believe  the  man's  story ;  or  at  any 


216  ON    THE    IRRAWADDY 

rate  will  suppose  that  it  was  only  one  of  the  guard,  who,  not 
being  able  to  sleep,  wandered  round  there  and  looked  into  the 
hut  from  behind.  The  worst  of  it  is  that  I  am  afraid  that 
there  is  no  chance  of  my  being  able  to  take  my  cousin  some 
limes  and  other  fruit  to-morrow  night,  as  I  said  I  would.  He 
is  very  ill,  and  quite  unconscious." 

"  That  is  very  bad,  master ;  I  will  try  and  take  him  in  some 
fruit  to-morrow.  If  they  won't  let  me  in  I  will  watch  out- 
side the  gates,  and  when  one  of  the  guard  comes  out  will 
take  him  aside,  and  I  have  no  doubt  that  for  a  small  bribe  he 
will  carry  in  the  fruit  and  give  it  to  the  trooper.  I  wonder 
that  they  put  them  into  that  hut  with  the  window  at  the 
back." 

"  I  don't  suppose  they  would  have  done  so  if  my  cousin 
had  not  been  so  ill  that  it  was  evident  that  he  could  not  for 
some  time  attempt  to  escape." 

They  joined  the  villagers  outside  the  town,  and  telling  them 
that  there  was  nothing  to  do  that  night,  returned  to  the 
temple.  •  They  found  the  man  and  the  two  boys  sitting  by  a 
great  fire,  but  shivering  with  terror. 

"  What  is  the  matter  ?  "  Stanley  asked. 

"  The  spirits  have  been  making  all  sorts  of  noises  outside, 
and  there  are  other  noises  at  the  end  of  the  cave,  close  to 
the  horses." 

Stanley  took  a  brand  and  went  over  to  them.  They  were 
both  munching  their  grain  quietly. 

"  Well,  you  see  the  horses  are  not  frightened  ;  so  you  may 
be  sure  that  whatever  were  the  noises  you  heard,  there  was 
nothing  unnatural  about  them.     What  were  they  like?  " 

The  question  was  not  answered,  for  at  that  moment  a 
sound  like  a  loud  deep  sigh  was  heard  overhead.  The  natives 
started  back,  and  even  Stanley  felt  for  a  moment  uncomfort- 
able. 


PREPARING    A    RESCUE  21? 

i:  It  is  only  the  wind,"  he  said.  "There  must  be  some 
opening  above  there,  and  the  wind  makes  a  noise  in  it  just  as 
it  does  in  a  chimney.  We  will  see  all  about  it  in  the  morn- 
ing.     Now  as  to  the  noises  outside." 

"  They  were  wailing  cries,"  the  man  said. 

' '  Pooh  !  they  must  have  been  tigers  or  leopards,  or  per- 
haps only  wild  cats.  No  doubt  they  smelt  you  and  the 
horses,  but  were  too  much  afraid  of  the  fire  to  come  any 
nearer.  Why,  you  must  have  heard  tigers  often  enough  to 
know  their  cries." 

"I  thought  myself  that  they  were  tigers,"  the  man  said 
rather  shamefacedly,  "  but  the  boys  said  they  were  certain 
that  they  were  not,  and  I  was  not  sure  myself  one  way  or 
the  other." 

Sitting  down  by  the  fire,  Stanley  told  the  men  the  exact 
position  of  the  prisoners,  and  said  that  he  feared  it  would  be 
altogether  impossible  to  get  Harry  out  for  the  present. 

"  I  would  give  anything  to  have  him  here,"  he  said  ;  "  but 
it  would  be  impossible  to  get  him  over  the  palisade." 

"  We  might  cut  through  it,  master  ;  "  Meinik  said,  "  with 
a  sharp  saw  we  could  cut  a  hole  big  enough  in  an  hour  to 
carry  his  litter  out.  The  only  thing  is,  we  could  not  get  his 
bed  through  that  window." 

"  We  might  get  over  that  by  making  a  narrow  litter," 
Stanley  said,  "  and  lifting  him  from  the  bed  on  to  it.  The 
difficulty  would  be,  what  to  do  with  him  when  we  got  him 
out  ;  as  to  carrying  him.  any  distance  in  his  present  state  it 
would  be  out  of  the  question  ;  besides,  the  guard  are  sure  to 
be  vigilant  for  some  considerable  time.  I  think  that  the  best 
plan  would  be  for  you  all  to  go  back  to  your  village  to-morrow, 
taking  the  horses  with  you,  and  for  one  of  you  to  come  over 
every  other  day  for  orders.  Then  there  would  be  no  occasion 
for  anyone  to  watch  the  horses  ;   they  certainly  will  be  of  no 


218  ON    THE    IRRAWADDY 

use  to  us  at  present,  for  it  will  be  weeks  before  my  cousin  is 
strong  enough  to  ride.  Meinik  and  I  will  take  up  our  abode 
close  to  the  edge  of  the  forest,  for  that  will  save  us  some  four 
or  five  miles'  walk  each  day.  The  first  thing  in  the  morning 
you  shall  go  with  me  and  choose  a  spot,  so  that  you  may  both 
know  where  to  find  us.  Two  of  you  have  got  axes,  and  we 
will  make  a  shelter  in  a  tree,  so  as  to  be  able  to  sleep  without 
fear  of  tigers  when  we  go  out  there,  though  I  dare  say  that  we 
shall  generally  sleep  near  the  town.  However,  one  or  other 
of  us  will  always  be  at  the  spot  at  mid-day  on  the  days  when 
you  are  to  meet  us.  Now  that  I  think  of  it,  two  of  you  may 
as  well  stay  at  the  shelter  for  the  present  while  the  other  three 
and  the  two  boys  go  home.  Then  there  will  be  no  occasion 
to  take  the  long  journey  so  often.  When  we  do  get  my  cousin 
out  we  shall  have  to  take  up  our  abode  for  a  time  either  here 
or  in  the  forest,  until  he  is  well  enough  to  bear  the  journey." 
In  the  morning  Stanley  closely  examined  the  roof  of  the 
cave,  but  could  see  no  opening  to  account  for  the  noise  that 
he  had  heard.  He  had,  however,  no  doubt  that  one  ex- 
isted somewhere.  He  left  a  man  with  the  two  boys  in  charge 
of  the  horses,  and  went  with  the  others  until  they  approached 
the  edge  of  the  forest.  They  kept  along  within  the  trees  for 
half  a  mile,  so  that  any  fire  they  might  light  would  be  unseen 
by  people  travelling  along  the  road.  The  men  considered  this 
precaution  needless,  as  they  declared  that  no  one  would  vent- 
ure to  pass  along  it  after  nightfall,  partly  owing  to  the  fear  of 
tigers,  and  partly  to  the  vicinity  of  the  temple.  A  suitable 
tree  was  soon  fixed  on,  and  the  Burmese,  now  in  their  ele- 
ment, ascended  it  by  driving  in  pegs  at  distances  of  two  feet 
apart.  Once  among  the  high  branches  they  lopped  off  all 
small  boughs  that  would  be  in  the  way,  and  then,  descending, 
cut  a  number  of  poles  and  many  lengths  of  tough  creeper, 
and  with  these  they  constructed  a  platform  among  the  higher 


PREPARING    A    RESCUE  219 

branches,  and  on  it  erected  a  sort  of  arbour,  amply  sufficient 
to  hold  four  or  five  people  lying  down.  This  arbour  would 
hardly  be  noticed  even  by  persons  searching,  as  it  was  to  a 
great  extent  hidden  by  the  foliage  beneath  it.  Stanley  told 
Meinik  that  they  had  better  buy  some  rope  for  a  ladder,  and 
take  out  the  pegs,  as  these  might  catch  the  eye  of  a  passer-by, 
and  cause  him  to  make  a  close  search  above. 

As  soon  as  the  work  was  finished  two  of  the  men  went  back 
to  the  temple  to  start  at  once  for  home  with  their  companion, 
the  boys,  and  the  horses.  Stanley  had  brought  with  him  his 
pistols,  the  two  horse  blankets,  and  other  things  that  might 
be  useful,  and  when  these  were  stored  above,  he,  with  Meinik 
and  the  two  men,  went  towards  the  town.  He  stopped,  as  be- 
fore, a  short  distance  outside.  Just  as  it  was  dusk  the  men 
returned  carrying  the  rope  that  Meinik  had  bought,  and  a 
store  of  food.  With  these  they  were  sent  to  the  shelter,  and 
Stanley  entered  the  town,  where  he  met  Meinik. 

"  I  have  sent  in  the  fruit,"  the  latter  said  ;  "I  had  no  dif- 
ficulty about  it.  I  told  the  first  soldier  who  came  out  after 
I  had  bought  it  that  I  came  from  the  village  where  the 
white  officer  had  been  captured  by  the  bandits.  He  had  been 
very  kind  to  us  all,  and  as  we  knew  that  he  had  been  carried 
off  badly  wounded,  I  had  come  over  to  get  some  fruit  for  him, 
but  I  found  that  they  would  not  let  me  in  at  the  gate.  I  said 
I  would  give  an  ounce  of  silver  to  him  if  he  would  hand  the 
things  to  the  prisoner  for  me.  He  said  at  once  that  he  would 
do  so.  He  had  heard  that  the  whites  always  treated  their 
wounded  prisoners  very  well,  and  that  there  would  be  no 
difficulty  about  it,  for  that  there  was  a  window  at  the  back 
of  the  hut  where  he  was  lying,  and  he  could  easily  pass 
things  in  there  without  anyone  noticing  it.  If  the  prisoner 
was,  as  I  said,  a  good  man,  it  was  only  right  that  he  should  be 
helped.     I  told  him  that  I  should  look  out  for  him,  and  might 


220  ON    THE    IRRAWADDY 

want  him  to  do  the  same  another  day.  I  think  that  he  was 
an  honest  fellow,  and  might  have  passed  the  fruit  in  even  with- 
out a  reward.  Still,  everyone  is  glad  to  earn  a  little  money. 
He  told  me  that  a  strange  thing  had  happened  last  night.  One 
of  his  comrades  had  declared  that  he  had  found  a  giant  stand- 
ing at  the  window  where  the  prisoner  was.  He  put  his  hand 
upon  him  when  he  was  struck  down  by  lightning.  No  one 
would  have  believed  his  tale  at  all  if  it  had  not  been  that  his 
nose  was  broken.  The  other  prisoner  had  been  questioned,  but 
as  he  did  not  understand  Burmese,  they  could  learn  nothing 
from  him.  Two  guards  were  in  future  to  be  placed  at  the 
back  of  the  house  as  well  as  in  the  front." 

"  That  part  of  the  business  is  bad,  Meinik." 

"  I  dare  say  we  shall  be  able  to  bribe  them,  master.  You 
may  be  sure  that  most  of  them  are  eager  to  get  back  to  their 
own  villages,  and  for  a  few  ounces  of  silver  they  would  be 
glad  enough  to  help  us  and  then  to  make  their  escape  and  go 
off  to  their  homes.  The  man  I  saw  to-day  might  find  one 
among  them  ready  to  do  so  with  him,  especially  if  their  homes 
happened  to  be  on  the  other  side  of  the  hills  :  and  there  would 
then  be  no  chance  of  their  being  seized  and  sent  back  again 
by  their  head-man.  The  sentry  would  only  have  to  let  us 
know  what  night  he  would  arrange  for  them  both  to  be  on 
guard  together  behind  the  hut ;  then  we  should  be  able  to 
manage  it  well." 

"It  would  be  a  capital  plan  that,  Meinik,  if  it  could  be 
arranged.  Well,  it  is  a  great  comfort  to  know  that  the  fruit 
has  got  in  safely ;  the  limes  especially  will  be  a  great  help  to 
my  cousin.  Next  time  you  see  the  man  you  must  try  and  get 
him  to  find  out  how  he  is  going  on." 

For  a  fortnight  Stanley  remained  in  the  forest.  Meinik 
met  the  soldier  every  other  day,  and  sent  in  fruit,  and  at  the 
end  of  the  ten  days  he  heard  that  the  prisoner  had  recovered 


PREPARING    A   RESCUE  221 

his  senses.  It  was  said  that  as  soon  as  he  was  well  enough 
to  move  he  was  to  be  sent  to  Ava. 

"  Now  you  had  better  begin  to  sound  the  man  as  to  his 
willingness  to  aid  him  to  escape." 

"  I  have  very  little  doubt  about  it,  master,  for  I  have  al- 
ready learned  that  his  home  is  on  the  other  side  of  the  hills. 
He  went  down  with  Bandoola,  and  returned  after  his  defeat 
with  a  number  of  others,  travelling  up  the  bank  of  the  Pegu 
river.  If  they  had  not  had  their  military  chief  with  them 
they  would  have  started  straight  for  home.  But  they  were 
marched  here,  and  have  been  kept  on  duty  in  the  town  ever 
since.  He  has  heard  how  well  off  the  people  are  on  the  other 
side  of  the  hills  under  English  rule  ;  so  I  feel  sure  that  he  will 
be  glad  to  escape  if  he  sees  a  chance  of  getting  off." 

"  That  is  good.  In  the  first  place,  let  him  know  that  the 
other  English  officer  who  was  at  the  village  with  the  one  they 
captured,  had  said  that  he  would  be  ready  to  pay  well  anyone 
who  would  aid  in  his  escape.  If  he  says  that  he  would  will- 
ingly do  so  if  he  also  could  get  away,  tell  him  that  one  man 
would  be  of  no  use,  but  that  if  he  could  get  another  to  join 
him,  so  that  they  could  both  go  on  guard  together  behind  the 
house,  it  could  be  managed.  But  say  that,  in  the  first  place, 
I  must  myself  speak  to  the  white  officer,  and  learn  exactly  how 
he  is,  and  whether  he  can  endure  a  journey  as  far  as  this  tree 
or  the  temple — whichever  we  may  decide  upon  as  best.  When 
I  have  seen  him  I  will  send  for  the  other  men  from  the  village- 
I  am  in  no  hurry  to  get  him  away,  for  the  longer  he  stays 
quiet  the  better.  But  at  any  moment  the  governor  may  de- 
cide that  he  is  sufficiently  recovered  to  be  carried,  and  may 
send  him  off  to  Ava  under  a  strong  escort.  Therefore,  al- 
though we  will  put  off  moving  him  as  long  as  possible,  we 
must  not  run  the  risk  of  his  being  sent  away." 

Four  days   later  Meinik  said  that  the  man  had  arranged 


222  ON    THE    IRRAWADDY 

with  another  to  join  him,  and  that  both  would  be  on  duty  be- 
hind the  hut  that  evening  between  nine  and  midnight.  Ac- 
cordingly at  ten  o'clock  Stanley  arrived  with  Meinik  and  the 
two  villagers  at  the  palisade.  Meinik  had  insisted  upon  ac- 
companying him  to  the  hut. 

"  I  believe  that  the  man  is  to  be  trusted,  master,  indeed  I 
am  sure  he  is,  but  I  do  not  know  the  second  man.  He  may 
have  pretended  to  accept  the  offer  only  on  purpose  to  betray 
his  comrade,  and  to  obtain  honour  and  reward  for  preventing 
the  escape  of  the  white  man.  Therefore,  I  must  be  with  you 
in  case  you  are  attacked.  Our  other  two  men  may  be  useful 
to  give  the  alarm  if  a  party  is  sent  round  to  cut  us  off." 

Stanley,  who  had  brought  a  horse  blanket  with  him  to  lay 
on  the  top  of  the  palisade,  was  the  first  to  drop  into  the  in- 
closure.  Meinik  followed  him  closely.  Nothing  had  been 
said  to  the  guard  as  to  the  white  officer,  of  whom  Meinik  had 
spoken,  being  himself  of  the  party,  and  Stanley  had  purposely 
left  his  pistols  behind  him  lest  he  should  be  tempted  to 
use  them.  In  case  he  was  attacked  he  carried  a  spear  and  a 
long  Burmese  knife.  Meinik  had  begged  to  be  allowed  to  go 
forward  first,  while  Stanley  remained  by  the  rope.  He  pointed 
out  that  some  change  might  possibly  have  been  made  and 
that  other  men  might  have  been  placed  on  sentry. 

"  I  know  you,  master,"  he  said;  "  if  you  got  there,  and 
found  two  strangers,  and  they  attacked  you,  you  would  fight ; 
then  they  would  give  the  alarm,  and  others  would  come  up 
before  you  could  cross  the  palisade.  I  shall  steal  up  ;  when  I 
am  close  I  shall  make  a  noise  like  the  hiss  of  a  snake.  If  my 
men  are  both  there  they  will  repeat  the  sound.  If  they  are 
not,  and  one  comes  forward  to  look  for  and  kill  the  snake,  I 
shall  slay  him  before  he  has  time  to  utter  a  sound.  If  the 
other  runs  forward  at  the  sound  of  his  fall  I  shall  kill  him  also. 
If  no  alarm  is  given  you  can  come  forward  and  speak  to  your 


PREPARING    A    RESCUE  223 

cousin.  If  there  is  an  alarm  you  must  climb  the  rope.  They 
will  not  know  which  way  I  have  run,  and  I  shall  have  plenty 
of  time  to  get  over  the  palisade  and  pull  up  the  rope ;  then 
they  will  think  that  the  guards  have  been  killed  by  some  of 
their  comrades." 

"  I  hope  no  such  misfortune  will  happen,"  Stanley  said 
gravely,  "  for  there  would  then  be  no  chance  whatever  of  our 
getting  him  away.  He  would  probably  be  moved  to  some 
other  place,  and  our  one  hope  would  be  that  we  might  rescue 
him  on  the  road,  which  would  be  a  difficult  matter  indeed  if 
he  were  sent,  as  he  certainly  would  be,  under  a  strong  escort. 
However,  your  plan  is  no  doubt  the  best,  for  if  I  were  killed 
or  captured  there  would  be  an  end  of  any  chance  of  his  being 
rescued." 

Meinik  crawled  forward,  and  in  a  minute  or  two  Stanley 
heard  a  low  hissing  sound,  followed  by  two  others.  He 
walked  forward  a  step  or  two  to  meet  Meinik  as  he  came 
back. 

"It  is  all  right,  master  ;  you  can  go  on  fearlessly." 
Meinik  returned  with  him  to  the  window  and  posted  himself 
outside,  standing  in  the  shadow,  while  Stanley  stepped  in 
through  the  open  casement,  which,  indeed,  was  provided  only 
with  a  shutter,  outside.  This  would  ordinarily  have  been 
closed ;  but  owing  to  the  illness  of  the  prisoner  and  the 
strong  desire  of  the  governor  that  he  should  live  to  be  sent  to 
Ava,  it  had  been  opened  to  allow  a  free  passage  of  air.  The 
trooper  sprung  from  his  couch  as  Stanley  made  a  slight  sound 
before  attempting  to  enter,  but  Stanley  said  in  Hindustani, 
"  Silence  !   it  is  I, — Mr.  Brooke." 

The  trooper  stared  doubtfully  at  the  dark,  tattooed,  half- 
naked  figure. 

"It  is  I,  Runkoor,  but  I  am  disguised.  I  was  like  this 
when  I  spoke  to  you  through  the  window  a  fortnight  since. 


224  ON    THE    IRRAWADDY 

but  you  could  not  then  see  my  figure.  Are  you  awake, 
Harry  ?  "  he  asked  in  English,  as  he  approached  the  pallet. 

"Yes,  I  am  awake;  at  least  I  think  so.  Is  it  really  you, 
Stanley?" 

"  It  is  I,  sure  enough,  man,"  Stanley  replied,  as  he  pressed 
the  thin  hands  of  the  invalid.  "  Did  not  Runkoor  tell  you 
that  I  had  been  here  before  ?  ' ' 

But  Harry  had  broken  down  altogether  ;  the  surprise  and 
delight  was  too  much  for  him  in  his  weak  state. 

"  Of  course,"  Stanley  went  on  quietly,  "  I  knew  that  he 
could  not  speak  English,  but  I  thought  that  he  might  make 
signs." 

"  He  did  make  a  sign.  Each  time  he  gave  me  fruit,  he 
said  'Sahib  Brooke,'  pointed  outside,  and  waved  his  arms 
about,  but  I  could  not  make  head  or  tail  of  what  he  meant. 
Why  he  should  keep  on  repeating  my  name  each  time  he 
gave  me  the  fruit  was  a  complete  puzzle  for  me;  as  to  the 
signs  that  he  made  it  seemed  to  me  that  he  had  gone  off  his 
head.  I  have  been  too  weak  to  think  it  over,  so  I  gave  up 
worrying  about  it,  and  it  never  once  struck  me  that  it  was 
you  who  sent  me  the  fruit.     What  an  awful  figure  you  are  !  " 

"  Never  mind  about  that,  Harry.  I  have  come  in  to  see 
how  strong  you  are.  I  have  bribed  the  two  guards  stationed 
behind." 

"  I  can  just  sit  up  in  bed  to  take  my  food,  Stanley,  that 
is  all ;   I  could  not  walk  a  step  to  save  my  life." 

"  I  did  not  expect  you  to  walk.  What  I  want  to  know  is 
whether  you  are  strong  enough  to  be  carried  a  few  miles 
on  a  litter.  I  have  five  men  from  the  village  where  we  were, 
and  they  can  cut  through  the  palisading  behind  the  hut.  I 
want  to  give  you  as  long  a  time  as  possible,  but  I  am  afraid 
that  any  day  the  governor  may  have  you  taken  out  and 
sent  in  a  litter  to  Ava,  under  a  strong  escort." 


PREPARING    A-   RESCUE  'SZo 

"  I  could  bear  being  carried  out,  no  doubt,  but  if  I  could 
not,  I  should  think  it  would  do  me  no  harm  so  long  as  my 
wounds  do  not  break  out  afresh.  I  suppose  the  worst  that 
could  happen  to  me  would  be  that  I  should  faint  before  I  got 
to  the  end  of  the  journey.  Are  you  sure,  old  man,  that  this 
is  not  a  dream  ?  ' ' 

"Quite  certain;  if  you  were  well  enough  I  would  give 
you  a  sharp  pinch.  If  you  are  willing  to  venture  I  will  make 
my  preparations  at  once.  I  have  to  send  to  the  village,  but 
in  three  days  I  shall  be  ready,  and  the  first  night  after  that  the 
men  manage  to  be  on  guard  together  behind,  we  shall  be  here. 
It  may  be  a  week,  it  may  be  more,  but  at  any  rate  don' t  worry 
about  it  if  they  take  you  away  suddenly.  I  shall  try  to  get 
you  out  of  their  hands  somehow." 

"  My  dear  Stanley,"  Harry  said,  with  a  feeble  laugh,  "  do 
you  know  that  you  are  spoiling  your  chance  of  an  earldom  ?  " 

"You  may  take  it  that  if  you  don't  succeed  to  the  title, 
old  fellow,  I  sha'n't,  for  if  you  go  under  I  shall  too.  Now 
good-bye  ;  it  would  be  fatal  were  I  to  be  caught  here.  Try 
to  get  yourself  as  strong  as  you  can,  but  don't  let  them  notice 
that  you  are  doing  so." 

Without  giving  Harry  time  to  reply,  Stanley  pressed  his 
hand  and  left  his  bedside.  He  paused  for  a  minute  to  in- 
form the  trooper  of  the  plans  for  the  escape,  and  then  he  got 
through  the  window.  Meinik  joined  him  at  once,  and  with- 
out a  word  being  spoken  they  crossed  the  palisade,  threw 
down  the  rope  and  blankets,  and  dropped  after  them  to  the 
ground. 

On  their  way  back  to  their  tree  Stanley  told  the  two  men 
that  the  officer  was  better,  and  that  the  next  morning  at  day- 
break one  of  them  must  start  for  the  village  to  fetch  their  three 
comrades.  The  boys  were  also  to  come  back  with  him,  as 
they  were  big  fellows  and  carried  spears,  and  might,  as  Stan- 
15 


2/J6  ON    THE    IRRAWADDY 

ley  thought,  be  useful  either  in  a  fight  or  in  assisting  to  carry 
Harry. 

On  the  following  morning  after  the  man  had  started, 
Stanley  went  with  Meinik  to  examine  the  temple  more  closely 
than  he  had  done  before.  He  thought  that  it  would  be  a  far 
better  hiding  place  than  their  hut  in  the  tree.  There  would 
certainly  be  a  hot  pursuit,  and  the  next  day  they  might  be 
discovered,  whether  in  the  temple  or  in  the  tree,  but  in  the 
latter  they  would  be  powerless  to  defend  themselves,  for  the 
Burmese  with  their  axes  would  be  able  to  fell  it  in  a  few  min- 
utes, whereas  in  the  temple  a  stout  defence  might  be  made  for 
a  time ;  moreover,  the  rock  chambers  would  be  far  cooler  in 
the  middle  of  the  day  than  the  hut. 

His  chief  object  in  visiting  the  temple  was  to  find  a  cham- 
ber with  a  narrow  entrance  that  could  be  held  by  half  a  dozen 
men  against  a  number  of  foes ;  and  it  was  desirable,  if  possi- 
ble, to  find  one  so  situated  that  they  might,  in  case  of  neces- 
sity, retreat  into  another  chamber,  or  into  the  open  air.  Meinik 
was  so  confident  in  the  white  man's  power  to  combat  even  evil 
spirits  that  he  approached  the  temple  with  Stanley  without 
betraying  any  nervousness.  They  had  provided  themselves 
with  some  torches  of  resinous  wood,  and  Meinik  carried  a 
couple  of  brands  from  their  fire.  The  chamber  they  had 
before  been  in  was  apparently  the  largest  in  the  temple,  but 
there  were  several  other  openings  in  the  rock. 

'*  That  is  the  entrance  we  will  try  first,"  Stanley  said,  point- 
ing to  one  some  ten  feet  from  the  ground.  "  You  see  there 
were  once  some  steps  leading  up  to  it.  No  doubt  where  we  are 
standing  there  was  a  temple  built  against  the  face  of  that  rock, 
and  probably  that  doorway  led  into  one  of  the  priests'  cham- 
bers." It  was  necessary  to  pile  three  or  four  blocks  of  stone 
on  the  top  of  the  two  steps  that  alone  remained  intact,  in 
order  to  enable  them  to  reach  the  entrance. 


THE   GREAT   SNAKE    MOVED    HIS    HEAD    HIGHER    AND    HIGHER, 
HISSING   ANGRILY. 


PREPARING    A    RESCUE  227 

"  Let  me  light  the  torches  before  you  go  in,"  Meinik  said. 
"  There  may  be  snakes. ' ' 

"  That  is  hardly  likely,  Meinik.  You  see  the  face  of  the 
rock  has  been  chiselled  fiat,  and  I  don't  think  any  snake  could 
climb  up  to  that  entrance. ' ' 

"  Perhaps  not,  master,  but  it  is  best  to  be  ready  for  them." 

They  lighted  two  torches,  and  passed  through  the  door- 
way.    There  was  an  angry  hiss  some  distance  away. 

"  That  is  a  snake,  sure  enough,  Meinik.  I  wonder  how  it 
got  here." 

Holding  their  torches  above  their  heads,  they  saw  that  the 
chamber  was  some  fourteen  feet  wide  and  twenty  long.  In 
the  corner  to  the  left  something  was  lying,  and  above  it  a  dark 
object  was  moving  backwards  and  forwards. 

"It  is  a  big  boa,"  Meinik  said.  "Now,  master,  do  you 
take  the  two  torches  in  one  hand  and  have  your  knife  ready 
in  the  other.  If  it  coils  round  you,  cut  through  it  at  once. 
This  is  a  good  place  for  fighting  it,  for  there  is  nothing  here 
for  it  to  get  its  tail  round,  and  a  boa  cannot  squeeze  very  hard 
unless  he  does  that." 

Stanley,  feeling  that  in  a  combat  of  this  sort  the  Burman 
would  be  perfectly  at  home,  while  he  himself  knew  nothing 
about  it,  did  as  he  was  told,  determining  to  rush  in  should  it 
attack  his  follower. 

"You  can  advance  straight  towards  him,  master;  I  will 
steal  round.  He  will  be  watching  you,  and  I  may  get  a  cut 
at  him  before  he  notices  me." 

Stanley  moved  slowly  forward.  As  he  did  so  the  great  snake 
moved  its  head  higher  and  higher,  hissing  angrily,  with  its  eyes 
fixed  on  the  torches.  Stanley  did  not  take  his  gaze  from  it, 
but  advanced  grasping  his  knife.  He  knew  that  the  boa's  bite 
was  harmless,  and  that  it  was  only  its  embrace  that  was  to  be 
feared.      He  was  within  some  eight  feet  of  the  reptile,  when 


228  ON    THE    IRRAWADDY 

there  was  a  spring.  The  snake's  head  disappeared,  and  in  a 
moment  it  was  writhing,  twisting,  and  lashing  its  tail  so 
quickly  that  his  eyes  could  hardly  follow  its  contortions. 

"Stand  back,  master,"  Meinik  shouted.  "If  its  tail 
strikes  you  it  might  do  you  an  injury.  It  is  harmless  other- 
wise.    I  have  cut  its  head  off." 

Stanley  stepped  back  a  pace  or  two,  and  stood  gazing  in 
awe  at  the  tremendous  writhing  of  the  headless  snake. 

"  It  is  a  monster,  Meinik,"  he  said. 

"  It  is  a  big  snake,  master.  Indeed,  I  should  say  that  it 
must  be  about  forty  feet  long,  and  it  is  as  thick  as  my  body. 
It  would  be  more  than  a  match  for  a  tiger. ' ' 

"  Well,  I  hope  there  are  not  many  more  of  them  about, 
Meinik." 

"  That  depends,  master;  it  may  have  its  mate,  but  it  is 
more  likely  there  will  be  no  other.  It  would  eat  any  smaller 
ones  of  its  own  kind,  of  course,  but  there  may  be  some  small 
poisonous  ones  about." 

As  the  writhing  of  the  snake  ceased,  Stanley  looked  round 
and  saw  a  narrow  doorway  in  the  corner  opposite  that  in 
which  it  had  been  lying. 

' '  Here  is  a  passage,  Meinik.     Let  us  see  where  it  goes  to. ' ' 

Meinik  had  by  this  time  lighted  two  more  torches. 

"  The  more  light  the  better,"  he  said,  "  when  you  are 
looking  for  snakes;  "  and,  holding  them  in  one  hand  and  his 
knife  in  the  other,  he  passed  through  the  doorway,  which  was 
about  four  feet  high.  Stanley  followed  him.  The  apartment 
was  similar  to  the  last,  but  narrower,  and  was  lighted  by  an 
opening  not  more  than  a  foot  square. 

"  See,  Meinik,  there  is  a  staircase  in  the  corner  facing 
us." 

The  steps  were  very  narrow,  but  in  perfect  preservation. 
Without  staying  to  examine  the  room,  Meinik  led  the  way  up, 


PREPARING    A    RESCUE  Z^b 

examining  every  step  carefully,  and  holding  the  knife  in  readi- 
ness to  strike.  They  mounted  some  forty  steps,  and  then  en- 
tered a  room  about  ten  feet  square.  Except  a  window  some 
eighteen  inches  by  three  feet,  there  was  no  apparent  exit  from 
the  chamber. 

"  I  should  think  that  there  must  be  some  way  out  of  this 
place,  Meinik.  Why  should  they  have  taken  the  trouble  to 
cut  that  long  flight  of  steps  through  the  rock  just  to  reach  this 
miserable  little  chamber  ?  ' ' 

Meinik  shook  his  head.  The  ways  of  these  ancient  build- 
ers were  beyond  him. 

"  There  must  be  an  outlet  somewhere,  if  we  could  but 
find  it.  Besides,  we  have  not  found  where  the  snake  came  in 
yet." 

' '  He  could  have  come  in  at  the  door,  master.  A  small 
snake  could  not  have  climbed  up,  but  that  big  fellow  could 
rear  his  head  up  and  come  in  quite  easily  ;  we  have  found  no 
little  snakes  at  all." 

"  Well,  that  may  be  so,  but  I  still  think  that  there  must  be 
some  way  out  from  here.  Why  should  men  go  to  the  labour  of 
cutting  this  long  stair  and  excavating  this  chamber  here  with- 
out any  reason  whatever  ?  Let  us  look  through  the  window, 
Meinik." 

It  was  a  passage  rather  than  a  window,  for  the  rock  face 
had  been  left  four  feet  in  thickness.  Crawling  out,  Stanley 
saw  that  he  was  fifty  feet  above  the  foot  of  the  cliff,  a  yard 
below  him  was  a  ledge  of  rock  some  two  feet  wide,  it  was 
level,  and  had  deep  grooves  cut  at  regular  intervals  across  it. 
He  had  no  doubt  that  the  roof  of  the  outside  temple  had 
started  from  this  point,  and  that  the  grooves  were  made  for 
the  ends  of  massive  rafters  of  teak  or  stone.  At  that  time  the 
passage  to  the  chamber  that  he  had  left  was  doubtless  used  for 
an   exit   on   to   the  flat  roof.     Stepping  on  to  the  ledge,  he 


230  ON    THE    IRRAWADDY 

called  Meinik  to  him.  "  Now,  Meinik,"  he  said,  "  we  will 
follow  this  ledge  ;  there  may  be  some  way  up  from  it." 

Walking  with  a  good  deal  of  care,  Stanley  made  his  way 
along  to  a  point  where  the  ledge  stopped  abruptly.  Looking 
down,  he  saw  the  remains  of  a  wall  of  solid  masonry,  and  per- 
ceived that  he  had  been  correct  in  his  surmise  as  to  the  pur- 
pose of  the  ledge.  Then  they  turned  and  went  back  to  the 
other  end  of  the  ledge.  A  few  feet  before  they  reached  this 
Meinik,  who  was  now  leading  the  way,  stopped. 

' '  Here  is  a  passage,  master. ' ' 

The  entrance  was  about  the  same  size  as  that  through  which 
they  had  stepped  out  on  to  the  ledge,  but  instead  of  going 
straight  in,  it  started  upwards. 

"  Another  flight  of  steps,  Meinik.  I  am  beginning  to  hope 
that  we  shall  find  some  way  out  at  the  top.  If  we  can  do  so, 
it  will  make  us  safe.  We  could  defend  those  stairs  and  the 
entrance  for  a  long  time,  and  when  we  wanted  to  get  away  we 
could  make  quietly  off  without  anyone  knowing  that  we  had 
left." 


CHAPTER   XIV 


IN    THE    TEMPLE 


THEY  went  up  the  flight  of  steps  for  a  considerable  dis- 
tance ;  then  they  found  the  passage  blocked  by  a  num- 
ber of  great  stones.  Stanley  uttered  an  exclamation  of  dis- 
gust. 

"  It  has  fallen  in,"  he  said.  "  No  doubt  we  are  near  the 
top  of  the  rock.  Either  the  staircase  was  roofed  in  or  there 
was  a  building  erected  over  the  entrance,  and  either  the  roof 


IN    THE    TEMPLE  231 

or  building,  whichever  it  was,  has  fallen  in.  That  is  very  un- 
lucky. When  we  go  down  we  will  climb  up  the  hill  and  see 
if  we  can  discover  anything  about  it.  With  plenty  of  food 
and  water,"  he  went  on,  as  they  descended  into  the  lowest 
chamber,   "  one  could  hold  this  place  for  any  time." 

"  Yes,  master,  one  could  store  away  the  food,  but  where 
should  we  store  the  water  ?  We  might  bring  skins  in  that 
would  last  us  for  a  week,  perhaps  two  weeks,  but  after  that?  " 

"After  that  we  should  make  our  way  off  somehow,  Mei- 
nik,"  Stanley  said  confidently.  "Well,  there  is  no  doubt 
that  this  is  the  place  to  shelter  in  ;  they  are  less  likely  to  find 
us  here  than  anywhere,  and  if  they  do  find  us,  we  can  defend 
ourselves  stoutly.  I  should  say,  too,  that  if  we  think  it  over, 
we  ought  to  be  able  to  hit  upon  some  plan  for  making  noises 
that  would  frighten  them.  You  know  how  scared  the  man 
and  the  two  boys  were  at  that  sighing  sound  in  the  other 
chamber.  We  certainly  could  make  more  alarming  noises 
than  that." 

Meinik  nodded.  "That  we  could,  master.  With  some 
reeds  of  different  sizes  I  could  make  noises,  some  as  deep  as 
the  roar  of  a  tiger,  and  others  like  the  singing  of  a  bird." 

"  Then  we  will  certainly  bring  some  reeds  in  here  with  us, 
Meinik.  I  don't  suppose  they  will  mind  in  the  daytime  what 
sounds  they  hear  ;  but  at  night  I  don't  think  even  their  offi- 
cers would  care  to  move  about  here  if  we  can  but  make  a  few 
noises  they  do  not  understand.  Well,  for  the  present  we  have 
done  our  work  here,  and  you  had  best  go  off  with  the  Burman 
to  buy  food  to  serve  in  case  of  a  siege.  You  had  better  go  to 
some  of  the  cultivators'  houses  near  the  edge  of  the  wood  for 
rice  and  fruit ;  if  you  can  get  the  food  there  you  will  be  able  to 
make  two  or  three  journeys  a  day  instead  of  one.  But  before 
we  start  back,  we  will  climb  round  to  the  top  of  the  hill  and 
see  what  has  happened  to  shut  up  the  staircase." 


232  ON    THE    IRRAWADDY 

It  took  them  a  quarter  of  an  hour's  climbing  through  the 
forest  and  undergrowth  before  they  reached  the  upper  edge  of 
the  rock  wall  in  which  the  chambers  had  been  excavated.  It 
had  evidently,  in  the  first  place,  been  a  natural  cliff,  for  when 
on  the  ledge,  Stanley  had  noticed  that  while  below  that  point 
the  rock  was  as  smooth  as  a  built  wall,  above  it  was  rough, 
and  evidently  untouched  by  the  hand  of  man.  Following  the 
edge  of  the  cliff  until  standing  as  nearly  as  they  could  guess 
above  the  entrance  to  the  steps,  they  walked  back  among  the 
trees  ;  at  a  distance  of  some  thirty  yards  they  came  upon  a 
ruin.  It  was  built  of  massive  stones,  like  those  which  strewed 
the  ground  where  the  temple  had  stood.  A  great  tree  rose  on 
one  side,  and  it  was  evident  that  its  growth  had,  in  the  first 
place,  overthrown  the  wall  at  this  point ;  climbers  and  shrubs 
had  thrust  their  roots  in  between  the  blocks  that  had  been  but 
slightly  moved  by  the  growth  of  the  tree,  and  had  in  time 
forced  them  asunder,  and  so  gradually  the  whole  building  had 
collapsed. 

"  This  tree  must  be  a  very  old  one,"  Stanley  said,  looking 
up  at  it,  "  for  it  is  evident  that  this  wall  was  thrown  down  a 
great  many  years  ago." 

"Very  old,  master;  it  is  one  of  our  hardest  woods,  and 
such  trees  live,  they  say,  five  or  six  hundred  years.  There  are 
some  which  are  known  to  be  even  older  than  that." 

"  Well,  it  is  clear  that  the  staircase  came  up  here,  but  we 
have  no  means  of  knowing  how  far  the  point  we  reached  is 
below  this.  I  should  say  that  the  stones  we  saw  are  the  re- 
mains of  the  pavement  and  roof,  for  you  see  these  great  blocks 
that  formed  the  walls  don't  go  as  far  as  the  middle,  where 
there  is  a  great  depression  ;  still,  of  course,  the  steps  may  have 
come  up  on  one  side  or  the  other,  and  not  just  in  the  middle 
of  this  little  temple  ;  for,  no  doubt,  it  was  a  temple.  Now 
you  see  the  reason  for  the  steps  up  to  that  little  square  room 


IN   THE    TEMPLE  283 

are  explained.  Probably  those  three  chambers  were  the  apart- 
ments of  the  principal  priests,  and  from  them  they  could  either 
go  out  on  to  the  roof  of  the  temple,  or  could,  by  taking  the 
upper  staircase  to  this  point,  leave  or  enter  without  observa- 
tion.     Now  let  us  be  off." 

On  arriving  at  their  tree-shelter  they  found  that  the  Bur- 
man  had  got  a  meal  ready,  and  after  partaking  of  this,  Mei- 
nik,  with  the  man,  started  to  buy  provisions.  It  was  fortu- 
nate that  Stanley  had,  before  starting  from  Prome,  drawn  some 
twenty  pounds'  worth  of  silver  from  the  paymaster.  He  had 
expected  to  be  away  for  three  or  four  weeks,  and  during  that 
time  would  have  had  to  buy  provisions  for  himself,  Harry,  and 
the  four  troopers,  and  might  possibly  have  occasion  for  money 
for  other  matters.  He  had  not  paid  the  men  from  the  vil- 
lage ;  for  he  knew  that  one  of  these  would  willingly  accom- 
pany him  to  Prome  to  receive  payment  for  them  all.  A  very 
small  amount  of  silver  sufficed  for  the  purchase  of  a  consider- 
able quantity  of  food  in  Burma.  Fruit,  of  which  many  kinds 
grew  wild  in  the  woods,  was  extremely  cheap,  as  was  rice  and 
grain.  Therefore,  as  yet,  with  the  exception  of  the  small 
sum  expended  in  Toungoo,  his  money  was  virtually  un- 
touched. 

The  two  Burmans  made  three  journeys  before  nightfall,  and 
returned  each  time  with  large  baskets  of  fruit,  grain,  and  rice. 
On  the  following  morning  they  went  into  the  town  and  bought 
six  of  the  largest  sized  water-skins,  such  as  are  carried  for  the 
use  of  the  troops  in  India,  one  on  each  side  of  a  bullock.  As 
soon  as  they  returned  with  these  they  started  for  the  temple. 
At  a  stream  about  a  hundred  yards  from  the  entrance  they  par- 
tially filled  one  of  the  skins,  and  placing  a  strong  bamboo 
through  the  straps  sewn  on  it  for  the  purpose,  Meinik  and  the 
Burmans  carried  it  to  the  temple,  and,  with  Stanley's  assist- 
ance, lifted  it  into    the    lower    chamber.     The  others  were 


234  ON    THE    IRRAWADDY 

one  by  one  placed  beside  it,  then  water  was  carried  in  the 
smaller  skins  and  poured  in  until  they  were  all  as  full  as  they 
could  hold. 

"  There  is  water  enough  to  last  us  for  a  month,  if  needs 
be,"  Stanley  said,  as,  after  securely  tying  up  the  mouths,  they 
laid  the  skins  down,  side  by  side.  The  smaller  mussucks  were 
then  filled  and  placed  with  the  large  skins,  and  then,  having 
done  a  long  day's  work,  they  returned  to  their  tree  just  as  the 
sun  was  setting.  The  four  men  and  two  boys  were  already 
there,  they  having  done  the  sixty  miles  from  the  village  with- 
out a  halt.  They  had  already  cooked  some  rice  and  some 
slices  of  venison,  which  Meinik  had  brought  with  the  water- 
skins  from  the  town  that  morning,  and  were  now  lying  smok- 
ing their  cigars  with  placid  contentment. 

For  the  next  six  days  Meinik  went  to  the  town  every  after- 
noon. On  his  return  on  the  last  evening  he  said  that  the 
guard  had  told  him  that  the  governor  had  paid  a  visit  to  the 
prison  that  day  and  had  seen  the  white  captive,  and  had  de- 
cided that  he  was  now  well  enough  to  travel,  and  that  in  two 
days'  time  he  was  to  start  for  Ava,  the  court  having  sent  down 
an  urgent  order  that  he  should  be  carried  there  as  soon  as  he 
was  well  enough  to  bear  the  fatigue. 

"Then  to-morrow  we  must  get  him  out,"  Stanley  said. 
"  Will  our  two  men  be  on  duty  ?  " 

"  Yes,  master,  they  have  not  been  on  since  the  last  night 
we  were  there.  They  will  form  the  second  watch,  and  will  go 
on  guard  at  midnight.  I  have  bought  two  very  sharp  saws, 
and  have  cut  two  strong  bamboos  for  the  litter." 

This  was  constructed  the  next  day.  It  was  very  simple, 
being  formed  by  sewing  a  blanket  strongly  to  the  two  bam- 
boos. Two  slighter  bamboos,  each  four  feet  long,  were  tied 
loosely  to  the  main  poles.  These  were  to  be  lashed  across  as 
soon  as  they  had  got  beyond  the  palisade,  so  as  to  keep  the  poles 


IN    THE    TEMPLE  2oO 

three  feet  apart,  which,  as  the  blanket  was  four  feet  from  pole 
to  pole,  would  allow  it  to  bag  comfortably.  The  cross  pieces 
could  not  be  attached  until  they  were  beyond  the  palisade, 
for  the  window  was  but  two  feet  wide,  and  it  was  therefore 
proposed  to  make  the  gap  through  the  palisade  the  same  width 
only.  Late  in  the  evening  they  entered  the  town  and  sat 
down  in  a  deserted  corner  until  the  time  came  for  them  to 
begin  their  work.  At  last  Meinik  said  that,  by  the  stars,  it 
was  already  past  midnight,  and  they  then  proceeded  to  the 
spot  where  they  had  before  climbed  the  palisade.  Here  they 
at  once  set  to  work.  The  saws  were  well  oiled,  and  in  a  very 
few  minutes  five  bamboos  were  cut  away  at  the  level  of  the 
ground  and  six  feet  above  it ;  as  the  stockade  was  bound  to- 
gether by  cross  pieces  behind,  the  other  portions  of  the  bam- 
boos remained  in  their  places.  Meinik  and  Stanley  Avent  first, 
followed  by  three  of  the  Burmans,  one  of  whom  carried  the 
litter.  The  other  two  Burmans  with  the  boys  remained  on 
guard  at  the  opening. 

All  were  barefooted,  except  that  Stanley  wore  a  pair  of  the 
lightest  leather  sandals.  They  went  noiselessly  up  to  the  win- 
dow, the  guard  as  before  responding  to  Meinik's  hiss.  With- 
out a  word  one  after  another  entered  the  chamber.  The 
trooper  had  been  sitting  at  the  table,  evidently  anxiously  ex- 
pecting their  arrival.      Stanley  went  up  to  the  bed. 

••  Are  you  better,  Harry  ?  "  he  asked  in  a  whisper. 

"  Better,  but  still  weak." 

Everything  had  been  arranged  beforehand.  The  litter  was 
laid  down  on  the  ground,  with  the  poles  as  far  apart  as  possi- 
ble. Then  Stanley  made  a  sign  to  the  trooper  to  take  one 
end  of  the  rug  on  which  Harry  was  lying,  while  he  took  the 
other.  The  Burmans  ranged  themselves  on  each  side,  and 
the  blanket  was  lifted  up  with  the  occupant  and  the 
pillow  composed   of  his  clothes,  and  laid   quietly  on  to  the 


236  ON    THE    IRRAWADDY 

blanket  of  the  litter.  Then  two  Burmans  went  outside  while 
the  other  four  men  lifted  the  poles  and  carried  one  end  to  the 
window.  The  Burmans  outside  held  the  ends  well  above  their 
heads,  Stanley  and  the  trooper  raising  their  hands  similarly. 
The  other  Burmans  then  crawled  under  it  out  of  the  window. 
As  the  litter  was  moved  forward  through  the  window,  they 
took  the  places  of  Stanley  and  the  trooper  at  the  poles  and 
silently  moved  on  towards  the  palisade.  Stanley  and  Meinik 
followed,  joined  by  the  two  Burmese  guards.  Not  the  slight- 
est sound  was  made  as  the  eight  men  crossed  the  short  dis- 
tance to  the  palisade  and  passed  through  the  opening,  where 
the  others,  spear  in  hand,  were  awaiting  them,  ready  to  rush 
in  and  take  part  in  the  fray  should  an  alarm  be  given.  Stan- 
ley breathed  a  great  sigh  of  relief  as  they  passed  out ;  a  few 
paces  further  they  halted  and  the  cross  pieces  were  lashed  to 
the  poles. 

"  Thank  God  that  you  are  out,  Harry  !  "  Stanley  said,  as 
soon  as  they  did  this.      "  Has  it  hurt  you  much  ?  " 

"  Nothing  to  speak  of,"  Harry  replied  ;  "  you  managed  it 
marvellously.     Am  I  really  outside  the  place  altogether  ?  ' ' 

"  Yes,  fairly  out.  You  will  be  more  comfortable  when  we 
have  lashed  these  cross  pieces ;  you  will  not  be  lying  then  at 
the  bottom  of  a  bag,  as  you  are  now." 

When  the  work  was  completed,  they  proceeded. at  a  rapid 
pace,  for  Harry's  weight,  reduced  by  fever  as  he  had  been, 
was  a  trifle  to  his  bearers.  The  others  followed  close  behind, 
and  in  a  quarter  of  an  hour  they  were  well  beyond  the  town. 
Stanley  spoke  to  Harry  once  or  twice,  but  received  no  an- 
swer ;  so  he  had  no  doubt  that  his  cousin  had  dozed  quietly 
off  to  sleep.  The  gentle  motion  of  the  litter  would  be  likely 
to  have  that  effect,  especially  as  Harry  had  probably  been 
lying  awake  for  the  last  night  or  two,  listening  for  the  friends 
who  might  arrive  at  any  time. 


IN    THE    TEMPLE  237 

When  they  reached  the  confines  of  the  forest  the  torches, 
which  had  been  carried  by  the  boys,  were  all  lit,  and  each 
carried  two,  with  the  exception  of  the  bearers,  who  had  but 
one  each,  while  all  kept  close  together  round  the  litter.  They 
waved  their  torches  as  they  went  ;  and  although  they  heard 
the  cries  of  several  tigers  in  the  forest,  they  had  no  fear  of  be- 
ing attacked,  as  so  many  waving  lights  would  deter  the  most 
hungry  beast  from  venturing  near. 

Once  in  the  chamber  at  the  temple  the  litter  was  laid  down 
on  a  pile  of  reeds  and  leaves,  that  had  been  gathered  the  day 
before,  together  with  a  great  store  of  brushwood  and  logs, 
Harry  still  sleeping  quietly.  In  a  short  time  a  bright  fire  was 
blazing,  and  with  this  and  the  light  of  the  torches  the  cham- 
ber assumed  quite  a  cheerful  appearance.  On  the  way  Stan- 
ley had  spoken  to  the  two  guards,  thanked  them  for  their  ser- 
vice, and  assured  them  that  they  would  receive  the  reward 
promised  by  Meinik. 

"  I  am  the  British  officer,"  he  said,  "  who  was  at  the  vil- 
lage with  my  friend,  though  I  was  absent  when  he  was  carried 
off.     As  you  see,  I  am  disguised." 

Both  had  shown  signs  of  uneasiness  when  they  approached 
the  temple,  but  Meinik  had  assured  them  that  the  spirits  would 
not  venture  to  approach  a  party  having  a  white  man  with 
them,  and  that  a  night  had  already  been  passed  in  the  temple 
without  any  harm  coming  of  it.  A  meal,  consisting  of  slices 
of  venison,  was  at  once  prepared,  and  when  this  was  eaten, 
and  the  whole  party  had  lighted  cigars,  their  spirits  rose  at  the 
success  of  the  enterprise.  The  soldiers,  however,  had  been 
disappointed  at  hearing  that  there  was  going  to  be  a  stay  for 
some  little  time  there,  to  enable  the  wounded  man  to  gain 
strength. 

"We  may  not  stop  long,"  Stanley  said;  "but,  you  see, 
with  the  litter  we  could  not  travel  fast,  and  you  may  be  sure 


238  ON    THE    IRRAWADDY 

by  this  time  the  alarm  has  been  given,  for  when  they  came  to 
relieve  you  at  the  end  of  three  hours  it  would  be  found  that 
you  were  missing,  and  then  they  would  at  once  discover  that 
the  captives  had  gone  too.  By  daybreak  the  whole  garrison 
will  be  out.     How  many  are  there  of  them  ?  " 

' '  There  are  three  thousand  men  in  the  town,"  the  guard  said. 
"  After  a  party  of  your  soldiers  came  within  a  short  distance 
of  it  two  months  ago,  fifteen  hundred  men  were  added  to  the 
garrison." 

"  Well,  you  see,  with  three  thousand  men  they  could  scour 
all  the  woods,  and  if  they  overtook  us  we  should  be  unable  to 
make  any  defence.  Here  we  may  hope  that  they  will  not 
discover  u,,  but  if  they  do  we  can  make  a  desperate  resistance, 
for,  as  only  one  man  can  enter  that  door  at  a  time,  it  would 
be  next  to  impossible  for  them  to  force  their  way  in.  You 
have  your  guns,  and  I  have  a  brace  of  pistols,  and  as  all  the 
others  have  spears,  it  will  be  as  much  as  the  three  thousand 
men  could  do  to  get  in  through  that  door.  If  they  did,  there 
is  a  still  narrower  door  in  the  corner  to  defend,  and  beyond 
that  there  is  a  long,  narrow,  steep  flight  of  stairs  that  one  man 
could  hold  against  a  host.  The  first  thing  in  the  morning, 
we  will  carry  our  stores  to  the  upper  chamber.  We  have 
water  and  rice  enough  to  last  us  for  a  month  if  we  are  care- 
ful, so  that,  although  I  hope  they  won't  find  us,  I  shall  not  be 
at  all  afraid  of  our  beating  them  off  if  they  do  so. " 

As  soon  as  it  was  daylight  the  stones  that  had  been  added 
to  the  steps  at  the  doorway  were  flung  down,  and  then  by 
their  united  efforts  the  two  remaining  steps  were  removed. 
Then  they  helped  each  other  up,  the  last  man  being  aided  by 
two  of  his  comrades  above. 

"  There,"  Stanley  said;  "  if  they  do  come  to  search  for 
us  they  are  not  likely  to  suspect  that  we  have  got  a  badly 
wounded  man  up  here.     They  may  search  the  big  chamber 


IN    THE    TEMPLE  239 

that  we  were  in  before,  and  any  others  there  may  be  on  the 
same  level ;  but  this  narrow  entrance,  ten  feet  above  them, 
is  scarcely  likely  to  attract  their  attention.  If  it  does,  as  I 
said,  we  must  fight  it  out,  but  it  will  be  a  wonderfully  hard 
nut  for  them  to  crack. ' ' 

He  then  ordered  the  men  to  carry  all  the  stores  to  the 
upper  chamber.  Just  as  they  began  the  work  there  was  a 
slight  movement  on  the  bed.  Stanley  at  once  went  up  to  it. 
Harry  was  looking  round  in  a  bewildered  way. 

"■Well,  Harry,  how  are  you  feeling?  You  have  had  a 
capital  sleep." 

"  Oh,  is  it  you,  Stanley?  I  was  not  quite  sure  but  that  I 
was  dreaming.  Where  am  I  ?  I  must  have  gone  off  to  sleep 
directly  we  started,  for  I  don't  remember  anything  after  you 
spoke  to  me  when  they  were  making  the  hammock  more  com- 
fortable. ' ' 

"  You  are  in  a  temple  some  four  or  five  thousand  years  old, 
I  should  say,  and  this  is  a  rock  chamber.  The  temple  itself 
is  in  ruins.  We  are  ten  miles  from  Toungoo,  and  shall  wait 
here  till  the  pursuit  for  you  has  slackened.  In  another  week 
you  will  be  more  fit  to  move  than  you  are  at  present.  I  should 
not  like  to  carry  you  far  as  you  are  now ;  besides,  if  we  had 
pushed  on,  they  would  have  been  sure  to  overtake  us,  for  these 
fellows  can  run  like  hares." 

"  But  why  should  not  they  find  us  here,  Stanley?  " 

"  Well,  of  course,  they  may  do  so,  but  the  entrance  to  this 
chamber  is  ten  feet  above  the  ground  ;  and  another  thing  is, 
they  have  all  sorts  of  superstitions  about  the  place.  Nothing 
would  induce  them  to  approach  it  after  nightfall,  and  even 
in  the  daytime  they  don't  like  coming  near  it.  Lastly,  if 
they  do  find  us,  it  will  take  them  all  their  time  to  force  their 
way  in.  I  have  five  men  and  two  young  fellows  quite  capable 
of  fighting  ;    then   there   are  your  two  guards,   Meinik,   the 


240  ON    THE    IRRAWADDY 

trooper,  and  myself ;  so  you  see  we  muster  twelve.  We  have 
two  guns  and  a  brace  of  pistols,  and  spears  for  us  all,  and  if 
we  cannot  defend  that  narrow  passage  against  any  number  of 
Burmans,  we  shall  deserve  our  fate.  Besides,  there  is  another 
and  even  narrower  door  in  the  corner  behind  you.  They 
would  have  to  force  that,  and  in  the  chamber  beyond 
there  is  a  narrow,  straight  staircase,  some  forty  feet  high, 
which  a  man  with  an  axe  ought  to  be  able  to  hold  against  an 
army.  They  are  taking  the  stores  up  there  now.  We 
have  got  provisions  and  water  for  a  month.  When  every- 
thing is  straight  there  we  shall  carry  you  up,  and  unless  they 
sit  down  in  front  of  this  place  and  regularly  starve  us  out,  we 
are  as  safe  as  if  we  were  in  Prome." 

"  I  wish  to  goodness  you  had  that  hideous  dye  off  you, 
Stanley.  I  know  it  is  you  by  your  voice,  but  what  with  the 
colour  and  all  that  tattooing  and  your  extraordinary  hair,  I 
don't  know  you  in  the  least." 

"  I  am  in  just  the  same  disguise  as  that  in  which  I  made 
my  way  down  from  Ava,"  Stanley  laughed.  "I  felt  very 
uncomfortable  at  first  with  nothing  on  but  this  short  petticoat 
thing,  but  I  have  got  accustomed  to  it  now,  and  I  am  bound 
to  say  that  it  is  cool  and  comfortable.  Now,  tell  me  about 
your  wounds." 

'!They  are  not  very  serious,  Stanley.  I  had  a  lick  across 
the  head  with  a  sword, — that  was  the  one  that  brought  me 
down, — and  a  slice  taken  out  of  my  arm  from  the  elbow 
nearly  up  to  the  shoulder  ;  also  a  spear-wound  in  the  side  ; 
but  that  was  a  trifle,  as  it  glanced  off  the  ribs.  If  I  had  been 
left  as  I  fell,  and  somebody  had  bound  up  my  wounds  at 
once,  I  should  have  been  all  right  by  this  time.  The  fellows 
did  bandage  them  up  to  some  extent,  but  the  movement  of 
the  litter  set  them  off  bleeding  again,  and  I  fancy  that  I  lost 
pretty  nearly  all  the  blood  in  my  body.      I  think  that  it  was 


IN    THE    TEMPLE  241 

pure  weakness  rather  than  fever  that  kept  me  unconscious  so 
long,  for  I  gather  from  the  pantomime  of  the  trooper  that  I 
must  have  been  nearly  a  fortnight  unconscious." 

"  Yes  ;  you  were  certainly  so  when  I  came  the  first  time, 
Harry ;  but  I  think,  perhaps,  on  the  whole,  it  is  lucky  that 
you  were.  You  would  probably  have  had  a  great  deal  more 
fever  if  you  had  not  been  so  very  weak ;  and  if  you  had 
escaped  that  and  had  gone  on  well,  you  might  have  been  sent 
off  to  Ava  before  I  could  get  all  the  arrangements  made  for 
your  escape." 

"Tell  me  all  about  it,"  Harry  said;  "it  seems  to  me 
wonderful  how  you  managed  it." 

Stanley  told  him  the  whole  story.  By  the  time  that  he  had 
finished  the  stores  had  all  been  taken  upstairs,  and  the  fire 
most  carefully  extinguished,  as  the  smoke  would  at  once  have 
betrayed  them.  The  cross  pieces  of  the  litter  had  been  taken 
off  to  allow  Harry  to  be  carried  in  through  the  door,  and  he 
was  now  lifted.  Two  of  the  men  took  off  their  cloths  and 
wrapped  the  materials  of  the  bed  into  these,  carrying  them  up 
at  once.  As  soon  as  they  had  gone  on,  Harry  was  slowly  and 
carefully  taken  to  the  upper  chamber  and  laid  down  again  on 
the  bed.  Stanley  took  his  place  beside  him,  and  the  rest  of 
the  party  went  down  to  the  lower  room,  having  received  the 
strictest  orders  not  to  show  themselves  near  the  entrance,  and 
not  to  smoke  until  well  assured  that  their  pursuers  must  have 
passed  on  ahead.  The  bamboos  of  the  litter  were  converted 
into  a  rough  ladder,  and  on  this  Meinik  took  his  post  at  the 
little  window  in  the  second  of  the  lower  rooms.  Owing  to 
the  immense  thickness  of  the  rock  wall  he  did  not  get  an 
extensive  view,  but  he  could  see  the  path  by  which  anyone 
coming  up  through  the  forest  would  approach  the  temple. 

It  was  now  about  half-past  seven,  and  by  this  time  the 
pursuers  might  be  at  hand  ;  in  ten  minutes,  indeed,  distant 
16 


242  ON    THE    IRRAWADDV 

shouts  could  be  heard,  and  Stanley  at  once  went  down  and 
joined  the  men  below.  He  placed  himself  in  the  line  of  the 
doorway ;  as  the  wall  here  was  four  feet  thick,  the  room  was 
in  semi-darkness,  and,  standing  well  back,  he  was  certain 
that  his  figure  could  not  be  perceived  by  anyone  standing  in 
the  glare  of  sunshine  outside.  The  sounds  grew  louder  and 
louder,  and  in  a  minute  or  two  an  officer,  followed  by  some 
twenty  men,  emerged  from  the  trees.  All  paused  when  they 
saw  the  temple.  The  men  would  have  drawn  back  at  once, 
but  the  officer  shouted  to  them  to  advance,  although  showing 
small  inclination  to  do  so  himself.  They  were  still  standing 
irresolute  when  a  superior  officer  on  horseback,  followed  by 
some  fifty  footmen,  came  up  the  path. 

He  shouted  orders  for  them  to  search  the  temple,  and  as 
the  fear  of  him  was  even  greater  than  their  dread  of  the 
spirits,  the  whole  of  the  men  made  their  way  over  the  fallen 
stones  and  up  to  the  face  of  the  rock.  They  first  entered  the 
chamber  where  the  horses  had  been  stabled.  The  officer  who 
had  first  arrived  went  in  with  his  men,  and,  coming  out,  re- 
ported to  his  senior  that  there  had  been  a  fire  made  and  that 
some  horses  had  also  been  there,  but  that  three  weeks  or  a 
month  must  have  passed  since  then. 

' '  Are  you  sure  of  that  ?  ' ' 

' '  Quite  certain,  my  lord.  It  is  extraordinary  that  anyone 
should  have  dared  to  enter  there,  still  less  to  stable  horses, 
when,  as  everyone  knows,  the  temple  is  haunted  by  evil 
spirits." 

"  I  care  nothing  for  spirits,"  the  officer  said  ;  "  it  is  men 
we  are  in  search  of.  Go  and  look  into  any  other  chambers 
there  may  be." 

At  this  moment  a  deep  mournful  sound  was  heard  ;  louder 
and  louder  it  rose,  and  then  gradually  died  away.  The 
soldiers  stood  as  if  paralysed  ;  even  the  high  official,  who  had 


IN    THE    TEMPLE  243 

been  obliged  to  leave  his  horse  and  make  his  way  across  the 
fallen  blocks  on  foot,  stepped  back  a  pace  with  an  expression 
of  awe.  He  soon  recovered  himself,  and  shouted  angrily  to 
the  men  to  go  on.  But  again  the  dirge-like  noise  rose  louder 
and  louder.  It  swelled,  and  then  as  gradually  died  away ; 
but  this  time  with  a  quavering  modulation.  The  men  looked 
up  and  round,  some  gazed  at  the  upper  part  of  the  rock,  some 
straight  ahead,  while  others  turned  round  and  faced  the 
forest. 

■'  Search  !  "  the  officer  shouted  furiously.  "  Evil  spirits  or 
no  evil  spirits,  not  a  man  shall  stir  from  here  until  the  place  is 
searched." 

Then  rose  a  shrill,  vibrating  sound,  as  if  of  eerie  laughter. 
Not  even  the  officer's  authority  or  the  fear  of  punishment 
could  restrain  the  soldiers.  With  cries  of  alarm  they  rushed 
across  the  ruins  and  plunged  into  the  forest,  followed,  at  a  rate 
which  he  tried  in  vain  to  make  dignified,  by  the  officer,  who, 
as  soon  as  he  reached  his  horse,  leapt  upon  it  and  galloped 
away.  The  Burmese  keenly  appreciate  a  joke,  and  as  soon  as 
the  troops  had  fled,  the  villagers  and  guards  inside  the  tem- 
ple threw  themselves  down  on  the  ground  and  roared  with 
laughter. 

Stanley  at  once  made  his  way  into  the  upper  room. 

"  Splendidly  done,  Meinik  !  It  was  like  the  note  of  an 
organ.  Although  I  knew  what  you  were  going  to  do,  I  felt 
almost  startled  myself  when  that  deep  note  rose.  No  wonder 
they  were  frightened." 

"  Well,  at  any  rate,  master,  we  are  safe  for  the  present." 

"  For  the  present,  no  doubt,  Meinik  ;  but  I  question  if  we 
sha'n't  hear  of  them  again.  That  officer  was  a  determined- 
looking  fellow,  and  though  he  was  scared,  too,  he  stuck  to  it 
like  a  man." 

"  That  is   the  governor  of  the  town,   master.     I  saw  him 


244  ON    THE    IRRAWADDY 

carried  through  the  streets  in  his  chair.  Everyone  was  bend- 
ing to  the  ground  as  he  passed.  He  was  a  famous  general  at 
one  time,  and  they  say  that  he  is  likely  to  command  a  part  of 
the  army  again  when  fighting  begins." 

"  Well,  I  think  that  we  shall  hear  of  them  again,  Meinik. 
I  don't  suppose  that  he  really  thought  that  we  were  here, 
for  certainly  no  Burman  would  take  up  his  abode  in  this 
place  even  to  save  his  life.  They  will  push  on  the  chase 
through  the  woods  all  day,  and  by  that  time  they  will  feel  sure 
that  they  would  have  overtaken  us  had  we  gone  straight  on. 
Then  I  should  not  be  at  all  surprised  if  he  tries  here  again." 

"  Perhaps  he  will,  master.  Like  enough  he  will  chop  off 
the  heads  of  some  of  the  men  that  ran  away,  and  pick  out 
some  of  his  best  troops  for  the  search.  Still,  I  hope  he  won't 
think  of  it." 

Stanley  shook  his  head. 

"  I  hope  so  too,  Meinik.  There  is  one  thing  about  which 
I  feel  certain — if  he  does  find  us  here,  he  will  stay  here,  or  at 
any  rate  leave  some  troops  here  until  he  gets  us.  He  would 
know  that  he  would  get  into  trouble  at  Ava  for  letting  the 
prisoners  escape,  and  it  would  be  all-important  for  him  to  re- 
capture them.  Now  we  are  up  here,  Meinik,  we  will  go  and 
have  a  look  at  that  upper  staircase  again.  If  we  are  besieged 
that  is  our  only  hope  of  safety." 

They  again  went  along  the  ledge  and  up  the  staircase. 
Stanley  examined  the  stones  that  blocked  the  passage  for  some 
time,  and  at  last  exclaimed  : 

"There,  Meinik,  look  along  by  the  side  of  this  stone;  I 
can  see  a  ray  of  light.  Yes,  and  some  leaves.  I  don't  think 
they  are  more  than  thirty  feet  above  us  !  " 

Meinik  applied  his  eye  to  the  crevice.  "  I  see  them, 
master.  Yes,  I  don't  think  those  leaves  are  more  than  that 
distance  away." 


IN    THE    TEMPLE  245 

"  That  is  what  I  came  to  look  for,"  Stanley  said.  "  It  was 
evident  that  this  rubbish  could  only  be  the  stones  of  the  roof 
and  pavement  over  the  depression  in  the  middle  of  the  ruin, 
and  that  these  could  not  block  up  this  staircase  very  far.  The 
question  is,  will  it  be  possible  to  clear  them  away  ?  Evi- 
dently it  will  be  frightfully  dangerous  work.  One  might 
manage  to  get  one  stone  out  at  a  time  in  safety.  But  at  any 
moment  the  loosening  of  one  stone  might  bring  a  number  ot 
others  down  with  a  run,  and  anyone  on  this  narrow  staircase 
would  be  swept  away  like  a  straw." 

Meinik  agreed  as  to  the  danger. 

"  Well,  we  need  not  think  it  over  now,  Meinik,  but  if  we 
are  really  besieged,  it  is  by  this  way  that  we  must  escape,  if 
at  all.  We  must  hope  that  we  sha'n't  be  beset,  but  if  we  are 
we  must  try  here.  I  would  rather  be  killed  at  once  by  the 
fall  of  a  stone  on  my  head  than  tortured  to  death." 

Meinik  nodded,  and  they  descended  the  stairs,  put  out  the 
torches  that  they  had  used  there,  and  returned  along  the 
ledge  to  the  chamber  where  Harry  was  lying. 

"  So  Meinik  scared  them  away,"  the  latter  said  as  Stanley 
sat  down  beside  him.  "  I  could  not  think  what  he  was  going 
to  do  when  he  came  up  here  with  that  long  reed  as  thick  as 
my  leg.  He  showed  it  to  me,  and  I  saw  that  it  had  a  sort  of 
mouthpiece  fixed  into  it,  and  he  made  signs  that  he  was  going 
to  blow  down  it.  When  he  did  it  was  tremendous,  and  as 
it  got  louder  and  louder,  I  put  my  hands  to  my  ears ;  every- 
thing seemed  to  quiver.  The  other  row — that  diabolical 
laughing  noise — he  made  with  a  smaller  one ;  it  was  fright- 
ful ;  but  the  big  note  was  more  like  a  trombone,  only  twenty 
times  louder.  Well,  do  you  think  that  we  have  done  with 
them  ?  ' ' 

"  I  hope  so,  Harry.  At  any  rate  you  can  be  assured  that 
they  will  never  fight  their  way  up  here,  and  long  before  our 


246  ON    THE    IRRAWADDY 

provisions  are  finished  I  have  no  doubt  that  I  shall  be  able  to 
hit  on  some  plan  of  escape. ' ' 

The  day  passed  quietly,  the  woods  were  as  silent  as  usual. 
The  Burmans  were  all  in  high  spirits  at  the  success  of  Meinik's 
horn.  When  it  became  dark  they  hung  a  blanket  before  the 
entrance,  placed  one  of  the  lads  on  watch  just  outside  it, 
and  then  lighted  a  fire.  Stanley  took  a  couple  of  torches  and 
went  up  to  Harry,  taking  the  precaution  to  hang  a  cloth  be- 
fore the  window. 

"I  have  not  said  much  about  thanking  you,  old  fellow," 
Harry  said,  "  but  you  must  know  how  I  feel." 

"You  had  better  say  nothing  about  it,  Harry;  I  have 
only  done  what  you  would  have  done  had  you  been  in  my 
place ;  had  you  been  in  charge  of  that  party,  and  I  had  been 
carried  off,  I  know  you  would  have  done  all  in  your  power  to 
rescue  me.  You  might  not  have  succeeded  quite  so  well,  be- 
cause you  do  not  know  their  language,  but  I  know  that  you 
would  have  tried.  After  all,  I  have  not  run  anything  like  so 
much  risk  as  I  did  when  I  rescued  Meinik  from  the  leopard. 
And  he,  of  course,  was  an  absolute  stranger  to  me.  Besides, 
you  are  not  rescued  yet,  and  we  won't  holloa  until  we  are  out 
of  the  wood." 

"It  is  very  cool  and  pleasant  here,"  Harry  said,  after 
lying  without  speaking  for  a  few  minutes.  "It  was  dread- 
fully hot  in  that  hut  in  the  middle  of  the  day,  and  I  used  to 
feel  that  I  lost  almost  as  much  strength  in  the  day  as  I  picked 
up  at  night.  I  am  wonderfully  better  this  evening.  Of 
course,  that  long  sleep  had  something  to  do  with  it,  and  the 
pleasure  of  being  free  and  with  you  had  still  more,  but  cer- 
tainly the  coolness,  and  the  air  blowing  through  that  open- 
ing, have  counted  for  something. ' ' 

"Well,  we  shall  feed  you  up  as  long  as  you  are  here, 
Harry,  and  I  hope   in  a  fortnight  to  see   you  pretty  firm  on 


IN    THE    TEMPLE  247 

your  legs  again,  and  then  if  there  is  nothing  to  prevent  it  we 
will  carry  you  off  triumphantly. ' ' 

Meinik  here  came  in  with  two  bowls  of  broth,  for  they 
had  bought  a  few  earthenware  utensils  on  one  of  the  visits  to 
Toungoo. 

"  That  is  first-rate!  "  Harry  said,  as  he  finished  his  first 
one.      "  What  is  it  made  of  ?  " 

''  I  never  ask  questions,"  Stanley  replied,  who  tried,  suc- 
cessfully, to  keep  down  a  smile.  "  Meinik  is  a  capital  cook, 
and  turns  out  all  sorts  of  nice  little  dishes.  Here  comes 
his  step  again.  What  have  you  there,  Meinik?"  he  asked, 
as  the  Burman  entered  with  two  plates. 

"  A  slice  of  mutton  done  on  sticks  over  the  fire,  master, 
and  some  rice  with  it." 

"That  is  first-rate!"  Harry  said  heartily,  when  he  had 
finished.  "  They  did  not  give  me  meat  in  prison.  I  suppose 
they  thought  that  I  was  not  strong  enough  for  it." 

"  They  eat  very  little  meat  themselves,  Harry.  Now  I 
fancy  your  dinner  is  done,  except  some  fruit.  We  have  got 
plenty  of  that." 

There  were,  however,  some  fried  bananas,  and  Harry  de- 
clared that  he  had  feasted  like  a  king.  "If  this  goes  on, 
Stanley,  I  will  wager  that  I  shall  be  about  in  a  week,  and  shall 
be  offering  to  run  a  race  with  you  in  a  fortnight." 

"  You  will  be  a  good  deal  longer  than  that  before  you  are 
fit  to  walk  any  distance.  Still,  with  a  good  appetite, — which 
you  are  sure  to  have  after  your  illness, — plenty  of  food,  and 
the  cool  air  in  these  caves,  I  do  expect  that  you  will  pick  up 
fast." 

The  next  day  passed  quietly. 

"  I  shall  be  glad  when  to-morrow  is  over,"  Stanley  said  to 
Meinik  the  last  thing  before  going  up  to  Harry's  cell.  "  To- 
day I  expect  they  are  all  marching  back  again,  and   if  they 


248  ON    THE    IRRAWADDY 

pay  us  another  visit  it  will  be  early  to-morrow  morning.  Be 
sure  that  two  men  are  on  watch.  They  can  relieve  each 
other  every  hour,  and  I  shall  come  down  myself  occasionally 
to  see  that  all  is  right,  but  I  don't  think  that  even  the 
governor  could  get  his  men  to  come  near  this  place  after 
dark." 

"  We  will  keep  good  watch,  master,  but  I  have  no  fear  of 
their  coming." 


CHAPTER   XV 

THE    ATTACK 

STANLEY  got  up  several  times  during  the  night,  and  went 
below  to  the  watches,  as  he  felt  sure  they  would  be 
nervous,  for  though  they  had  now,  to  a  large  extent,  got  over 
their  superstitious  fears,  they  would  still  be  timid  at  night. 
They  reported  that  everything  was  still  round  the  temple, 
but  that  they  had  heard  distant  sounds  in  the  woods  ;  and  on 
the  first  of  these  occasions  he  had,  after  returning  to  the  room 
above,  gone  out  on  to  the  ledge,  and  from  that  height  could 
see  the  reflection  in  the  sky  of  a  number  of  fires  extending 
in  a  semicircle,  at  a  distance  of  a  mile  or  so  from  the  temple. 
From  this  he  felt  convinced  that  the  governor  was  deter- 
mined to  have  a  thorough  search  made  in  the  morning.  As 
soon  as  it  was  daylight  the  sound  of  the  blowing  of  horns 
and  the  beating  of  drums  was  heard  in  the  forest,  and  half 
an  hour  later  a  large  body  of  men  poured  out  from  the  trees, 
headed  by  the  governor  himself. 

"  Now,"  he  shouted,  "  this  place  is  to  be  searched  in  every 
hole  and  corner.  As  to  the  evil  spirits,  there  is  no  fear  of 
them  either  by  day  or  night.      Did   you  ever  hear  of  their 


THE   ATTACK  249 

attacking  a  large  body  of  men  ?  They  may  strangle  a  single 
traveller  who  ventures  into  their  haunts,  but  no  one  ever 
heard  of  a  Burmese  army  being  attacked  by  them.  Now, 
every  man  has  to  do  his  duty,  and  the  first  who  wavers,  his 
head  is  to  be  struck  off  at, once.      Forward  !  " 

The  troops  rushed  impetuously  across  the  ruins,  penetrated 
into  the  various  chambers  in  the  rock,  and  in  a  few  minutes 
all  these  were  reported  to  be  empty. 

"There  are  chambers  higher  up,"  the  governor  said. 
"  We  will  search  them,  and — look  at  that  door  up  there,  it 
must  lead  to  somewhere.  Bring  stones,  and  make  a  stair  up 
to  it." 

It  was  evident  now  that  there  was  no  longer  any  hope  of 
concealment,  and  Stanley  stepped  to  the  entrance.  "My 
Lord -governor,"  he  shouted,  "there  is  a  strong  force  here, 
and  all  your  army  could  not  gain  an  entrance.  We  do  not 
wish  to  take  the  lives  of  brave  men,  but  if  we  are  attacked 
we  must  defend  ourselves,  and  I  pray  you  to  withdraw  with 
them  and  not  to  throw  away  life." 

This  address  from  an  apparent  peasant  excited  the  wrath  of 
the  governor,  who  shouted  :    "  Shoot  him,  men  !  " 

But  before  the  order  could  be  obeyed  Stanley  had  stepped 
back  into  the  chamber,  where  he  had  already  ordered  the 
men  to  stand  out  of  the  line  of  the  door.  A  number  of 
muskets  were  fired,  and  several  bullets  struck  the  back  wall 
of  the  chamber.  The  firing  continued,  and  Stanley  said  : 
"Keep  where  you  are,  men,  until  they  have  finished,  then 
approach  the  door,  for  directly  they  begin  the  attack  the 
men  behind  must  stop  firing.  They  will  be  some  minutes 
yet."      He  ran  quickly  up  to  Harry's  room. 

"They  are  attacking  us,"  Harry  exclaimed  ;  "oh,  how  I 
wish  I  could  come  down  and  help  ! ' ' 

"They  can  never  get  in,  Harry.      British  soldiers  might 


250  ON    THE    IRRAWADDY 

do  it,  but  not  these  fellows.  They  can  only  enter  two 
abreast,  and  with  a  dozen  spear  points  facing  them  what  can 
they  do  ?  I  thought  that  I  would  just  come  up  and  tell  you 
it  was  all  right.  It  will  take  them  five  minutes,  at  least,  to 
pile  up  stones  level  with  the  doorway." 

Stanley  again  joined  those  below.  Meinik,  the  trooper, 
and  one  of  the  Burmese  were  to  form  the  first  line  ;  the 
four  other  Burmese  were  to  stand  behind,  with  their  spears, 
between  the  men  in  front  ;  the  two  guards  with  their  mus- 
kets, and  the  boys,  were  to  act  as  a  reserve.  Stanley  had 
armed  himself  with  one  of  the  axes,  and  was  to  stand  by  the 
side  of  the  entrance,  so  that  if  the  spearmen  were  pressed 
back,  and  any  of  the  assailants  succeeded  in  passing  the  en- 
trance, he  would  strike  them  down.  Presently  there  was  a 
silence  outside. 

"Keep  well  back,"  he  said.  "They  have  laid  their 
stones,  and  we  shall  have  a  rush  directly,  but  they  will  most 
likely  pour  in  a  volley  first." 

The  pause  lasted  for  a  minute  or  two.  Then  a  drum  was 
beaten,  and  a  hundred  muskets  were  fired.  A  rain  of  bullets 
flew  into  the  cave. 

"  Now,"  Stanley  shouted,  "  form  up." 

A  wild  yell  was  raised  by  the  Burmese.  Now  they  knew 
that  they  were  fighting  human  foes,  their  courage  returned  and 
there  was  a  rush  of  men  up  the  pile  of  stones  to  the  entrance, 
but  in  vain  they  tried  to  force  their  way  into  the  chamber. 
Those  in  front  fell  pierced  by  the  spears,  and  while  the  de- 
fenders could  see  their  figures  against  the  light,  the  assailants, 
coming  out  from  the  sunshine,  could  see  nothing  in  the 
chamber,  which  was  now  darkened  by  their  filling  up  the 
entrance.  Not  once  was  it  necessary  for  Stanley  to  strike. 
The  Burmans'  spears  did  their  work  thoroughly,  and  in  two 
or  three  minutes  the  entrance  was  nigh  choked  up  with  dead 


IN    VAIN   THE   BURMESE    TRIED   TO    FORCE   THEIR    WAY    INTO   THE 
CHAMBER, 


THE    ATTACK  251 

bodies,  adding  to  the  difficulty  of  the  assailants.  Pressed  on 
by  those  behind,  the  foremost  fell  over  these  obstacles,  and 
were  instantly  pierced  by  the  spears,  until  it  was  no  longer 
possible  to  get  through  the  outer  entrance,  much  less  make 
their  way  into  the  chamber.  Again  and  again  the  attack  was 
repeated  and  as  often  repulsed. 

BefoYe  advancing,  the  Burmese  each  time  endeavoured  to 
clear  the  passage  by  drawing  out  the  bodies  of  their  comrades, 
but  the  two  guards  now  posted  themselves  in  front,  and  shot 
man  after  man,  who  made  the  attempt.  At  last  the  Burmese 
drew  off,  but  not  till  some  fifty  or  sixty  had  been  killed. 
The  governor  was  seen  gesticulating  furiously  to  a  party  of 
officers,  and  presently  a  final  attack  was  made,  led  by  several 
officers  of  rank.  This  was  as  unsuccessful  as  the  others  ;  the 
bodies,  indeed,  of  the  killed  now  forming  a  well-nigh  impas- 
sable barrier,  and  after  several  of  the  officers  and  many  of  the 
bravest  men  had  fallen,  the  remainder  withdrew  suddenly. 
The  governor  appeared  to  recognize  that  the  task  was  an  im- 
possible one,  and  two  or  three  hundred  men  were  at  once 
set  to  work  felling  trees,  and  by  nightfall  a  high  stockade  had 
been  erected  round  the  open  ground  in  front  of  the  temple. 

"  They  are  going  to  try  to  starve  us  out,"  Stanley  said. 
"  There  is  no  more  chance  of  fighting  to-night." 

As  soon  as  the  stockade  was  finished  musketeers  took  their 
place  behind  it  and  opened  a  dropping  fire  at  the  entrance, 
while  the  woodcutters  continued  to  fell  trees. 

"  We  must  get  rid  of  these  dead  bodies  if  we  can,"  Stan- 
ley said,  "  or  the  place  will  be  uninhabitable  in  a  day  or  two. 
Get  those  two  bamboos  we  had  for  the  litter,  Meinik  ;  we 
will  push  the  bodies  out,  one  by  one,  beginning  with  those  on 
the  top  of  the  heap.  We  can  keep  down  behind  the  shelter 
of  the  pile  till  we  have  got  most  of  them  out ;  after  that  we 
must  take  our  chance  of  a  shot." 


252  ON    THE    IRRAWADDY 

It  took  them  some  hours'  work,  but  at  last  the  passage  was 
cleared,  and  the  bodies  all  thrown  outside.  The  fire  was 
lighted  in  the  next  room,  and  Stanley,  bidding  two  men 
listen  attentively  for  any  movement,  went  up  again  to  Harry, 
to  whom  he  had  paid  a  flying  visit  as  soon  as  the  Burmese 
drew  off. 

"We  cannot  risk  having  a  light  here,  Harry,"  he  said. 
"  I  don't  want  them  to  have  any  idea  that  this  chamber, 
which  is  nearly  fifty  feet  above  the  entrance,  is  in  any  way 
connected  with  the  rooms  below.  If  such  an  idea  struck 
them  they  might  lower  men  from  above  by  ropes,  and  so  take 
us  in  the  rear." 

' '  Did  you  say  that  we  are  regularly  shut  up  in  front  by  that 
stockade  ?  ' ' 

"  Yes  ;  there  is  certainly  no  getting  out  that  way.  Behind, 
you  know,  it  is  a  sheer  wall  of  rock,  and  the  only  possibility 
that  I  can  see,  is  that  we  may  clear  a  staircase,  which  runs 
up  through  the  rock,  from  a  ledge  on  the  level  of  this  room, 
to  the  ruins  of  a  building  above.  At  present  the  upper  part 
is  entirely  choked  up  with  blocks  of  stone  and  rubbish,  and  it 
will  be  a  very  awkward  job  to  get  through  it ;  but  so  far,  it 
seems  to  me,  it  is  that  or  nothing. ' ' 

"  What  are  they  going  on  chopping  down  trees  for?  " 

"  I  believe  their  general  is  doing  it  to  bring  large  numbers 
of  his  troops  close  up  to  the  stockade  ;  partly  perhaps  to  keep 
up  the  spirits  of  the  front  line  by  their  company,  partly  to 
render  impossible  any  attempt  on  our  part  to  make  our  way 
out  by  a  sudden  rush.  Of  course,  they  don't  know  what 
our  strength  is  ;  but  they  have  had  so  sharp  a  lesson  to-day 
that  they  will  take  every  precaution  in  future.  Well,  what  is 
it,  Meinik?  " 

"  We  have  been  talking  together,  master,  and  we  think 
that  if  we  were  to  call  out  that  they  might  take  the  bodies 


THE    ATTACK  2oo 

away ;  without  any  interference  by  us  they  would  do  so.  Sev- 
eral officers  of  rank  have  fallen  there,  and  it  is  our  custom 
always  to  carry  off  the  dead  when  it  is  possible. ' ' 

"  It  would  be  worth  trying  the  experiment  anyhow,  Meinik. 
But  we  must  all  stand  to  arms  while  they  are  doing  it,  as  they 
might  make  a  sudden  rush.  However,  we  would  risk  that, 
for , those  bodies  have  been  worrying  me  very  much,  and  I 
would  give  anything  to  have  them  taken  away.  I  will  go 
down  with  you." 

Meinik  accordingly  went  down  to  the  entrance  and  shouted 
out  :  "  Peace,  peace  !  I  am  ordered  by  the  English  officer  to 
say  that  he  would  wish  those  who  have  fought  so  bravely  to 
be  honoured  after  death,  and  that  no  shot  shall  be  fired  and 
no  interference  made  with  those  who  come  to  carry  away  the 
dead." 

There  was  silence  for  two  or  three  minutes,  and  then  a 
voice  called  back  :  "  It  is  well ;  for  two  hours  there  shall  be 
peace  between  us. " 

"  I  have  no  doubt  the  governor  is  as  glad  to  do  this  as  we 
are.  It  is  considered  a  disgrace  if  the  dead  are  not  carried  off 
the  ground  to  burial ;  and  if  he  sends  despatches  to  Ava  he 
will  be  glad  to  be  able  to  put  in  that  the  brave  men  who  fell 
have  all  been  buried  with  due  honours.  Besides,  Meinik,  it 
would  not  be  encouraging  to  his  troops  for  them  to  have  that 
pile  of  dead  bodies  before  them  ;  and,  indeed,  would  be  enough 
to  cause  a  pestilence  in  a  few  days." 

The  men  were  formed  up  again  round  the  entrance.  The 
Burmese  did  their  work  silently.  Occasionally  a  slight  move- 
ment was  heard,  but  no  one  could  have  imagined  that  a 
hundred  men  were  busy  outside.  A  number  of  them  carried 
torches,  and  all  worked  steadily  and  in  good  order  under  the 
direction  of  two  or  three  officers.  One  of  the  posts  of  the 
stockade  had  been   pulled  up,  and  through  this  the  bodies 


251  ON    THE    IRRAWADDV 

were  carried.  It  was  less  than  two  hours  before  a  horn 
sounded,  and  there  was  a  loud  call  of:  "  The  peace  is  over; 
all  is  done." 

Beyond  the  stockade  great  fires  blazed  among  the  trees. 
The  work  of  chopping  down  the  forest  continued,  and  by 
the  morning  the  ground  had  been  cleared  for  a  distance  of 
thirty  or  forty  yards  from  the  paling.  Then  the  Burmese 
raised  another  stockade  forty  feet  behind  the  first,  so  that, 
if  by  carelessness  or  treachery  the  besieged  should  manage  to 
pass  through  the  first  line,  there  would  yet  be  another  in 
front  of  them. 

"  I  expect,  master,"  Meinik  said,  as  standing  well  back  he 
watched  the  men  at  work,  "  the  general  is  building  this 
second  line,  not  because  he  thinks  that  there  is  a  chance  of 
our  getting  through  the  first,  but  to  keep  the  men  at  work 
so  as  to  prevent  them  from  thinking  anything  about  the 
spirits.  Now  that  they  have  passed  one  night  there  they  will 
have  got  somewhat  over  their  fear,  and  of  course  every  day 
that  passes  without  ill  befalling  them  they  will  think  less  and 
less  about  the  evil  ones." 

"  Do  you  believe  in  them,  Meinik  ?  " 

Meinik  hesitated.  "  Everyone  knows,  master,  that  evil 
spirits  guard  the  treasures  of  the  people  that  lived  in  the  land 
long,  long  ago.  No  one  can  doubt  that  people  who  have 
rashly  sought  the  treasures  have  been  found  dead  with  staring 
eyes  and  swollen  bodies  ;  but  as  at  present  they  must  know 
well  that  neither  we  nor  those  outside  are  searching  for  treas- 
ure, they  may  not  interfere." 

"  Then  you  think  that  there  are  treasures  buried  here  some- 
where? " 

"  I  cannot  say,  master;  everyone  says  so.  The  story  has 
been  handed  down  that  this  was  once  the  greatest  of  the  tem- 
ples of  the  old  people,  and  that  when  they  were  defeated  by 


THE    ATTACK  255 

tribes  from  the  east — I  know  not  whether  it  was  us  or  some 
people  before  us — the  priests  from  all  the  other  temples  came 
here.  The  remains  of  their  army  came  here  too  and  fought 
outside  the  temple  until  all  were  killed.  When  the  con- 
querors entered  they  found  the  priests  all  lying  in  regular  lines 
on  the  pavements.  All  were  dead.  One  story  is  that  they 
had  stabbed  themselves ;  another,  that  they  had  taken  poison. 
At  any  rate,  no  treasures  were  found,  although  it  was  known 
that  the  riches  of  the  temple  were  great,  and  that  all  the  other 
priests  that  had  come  here  had  brought  the  treasures  from 
their  temples  with  them.  That  was  the  beginning  of  the  de- 
struction of  the  place,  for  the  pavement  was  torn  up,  and  the 
walls  in  some  places  levelled,  and  the  images  of  the  gods 
broken  up  in  search  for  the  treasures.  The  work  of  the  guar- 
dian spirits  had  already  begun.  They  say  that  all  who  took 
part  in  the  search  died  of  a  terrible  pestilence  that  broke  out. 
Since  that  time  the  place  has  been  accursed.  Once  or  twice 
kings  have  sent  bodies  of  troops  to  search,  and  they  say  that 
some  could  never  find  the  temple,  but  wandered  about  the 
forest  for  days  searching  in  vain  for  it ;  others  found  so  thick 
a  darkness,  like  the  blackest  of  smoke,  filling  the  forest,  that 
even  the  bravest  dare  not  enter.  I  say  not  that  those  things 
were  so  ;  I  only  say  that  these  are  the  stories  that  have  come 
down  to  us." 

"  Well,  Meinik,  we  are  not  going  to  search  for  the  treas- 
ure, and  it  is  evident  that  the  spirits  bear  us  no  ill  will ;  in- 
deed I  feel  obliged  to  them,  for  it  is  likely  enough  that  the 
soldiers  will  put  down  their  misfortune  to  their  influence,  and 
that  even  the  governor  may  feel  that  it  would  be  useless  to 
try  to  get  them  to  renew  the  assault.  This  evening  we  will 
go  up  and  have  another  look  at  the  stairs  and  see  how  we  can 
best  set  to  work  to  clear  them.  There  is  no  great  hurry 
about  it,  but  the  sooner  we  set  to  work  the  better.*" 


256  ON    THE    IRRAWADDY 

All  day  long  a  dropping  fire  was  maintained  on  the  en- 
trance by  the  troops  behind  the  first  stockade;  but  as,  with 
the  exception  of  three  men  kept  always  on  watch,  the  defend- 
ers were  stationed  in  the  next  chamber,  the  bullets  pattered 
harmlessly  against  the  wall.  During  the  night  the  accumu- 
lated dust  of  ages  had  been  swept  up  from  the  floor,  and  this 
had  been  strewn  three  inches  deep  in  the  passage  between  the 
outer  air  and  the  chamber,  so  as  to  cover  the  blood  that  had 
been  shed  there.  As  soon  as  it  was  quite  dark,  Stanley, 
Meinik,  and  three  of  the  villagers  went  out  on  to  the  ledge 
in  front  of  the  upper  opening,  made  their  way  along  it  to  the 
entrance  of  the  stairs  and  mounted.  They  carried  with  them 
two  or  three  glowing  brands  from  the  fire  in  one  of  the  earth- 
enware cooking-pots,  which  was  covered  with  a  cloth  to  prevent 
the  slightest  glow  being  noticed  by  the  enemy.  The  men, 
by  Stanley's  order,  brought  with  them  the  bamboos  of  the 
litter,  the  saw  they  had  used  at  the  stockade,  a  hatchet,  and 
some  blocks  of  fire-wood.  When  they  got  to  the  point  where 
the  steps  were  choked  up,  they  lighted  the  two  torches,  the 
men  who  brought  up  the  rear  of  the  party  holding  up  a  rug 
to  prevent  any  reflection  from  the  torches  being  seen  outside. 
When  Stanley  and  Meinik  had  again  examined  the  obstacle, 
the  latter  retired,  and  the  Burmans  one  by  one  came  up  and 
looked  at  it. 

"  What  do  you  think  of  it?  "  Stanley  asked  them. 

"  It  would  be  dangerous  to  touch  it,  my  lord,"  one  of  them 
said.  "  If  only  one  stone  moved  out  from  its  place  it  would 
be  death  to  us  all.  They  are  firm  now,  quite  firm,  but  if  two 
or  three  were  disturbed  the  whole  might  come  down  at  once. ' ' 

"  I  quite  see  that,"  Stanley  said.  "  Can  any  of  you  sug- 
gest a  plan  by  which  we  could  get  out  without  much  risk  of 
setting  them  in  motion  ?  ' ' 

The  Burmese  were  silent. 


THE    ATTACK  257 

"I  will  tell  you  my  scheme  then.  I  propose  to  cut  the 
"bamboos  into  lengths  that  will  just  reach  across  the  passage. 
It  is  the  lower  stones  that  one  is  most  afraid  of.  So  long  as 
these  remain  fixed  there  is  no  fear  of  any  general  movement,  but 
if  they  went,  the  whole  mass  might  come  down.  This  passage 
is  less  than  three  feet  wide,  and  the  bamboos  are  twelve  feet 
long/' so  that  each  would  make  four,  the  width  of  the  passage. 
I  propose  to  drive  them  tightly  in  and  fix  them  firmly  with 
wedges.  They  must  be  put  in  so  that  they  will  actually  touch 
the  stones,  so  as  to  prevent  their  making  the  slightest  down- 
ward movement.  If  they  began  to  slide,  no  doubt  they 
would  carry  away  the  bamboos,  but  if  these  were  fixed  firmly 
by  wedges  they  ought  to  be  sufficient  to  prevent  any  move- 
ment from  taking  place,  especially  as  there  would  be  enough 
of  them  almost  to  touch  each  other,  extending  from  this  low- 
est step  on  which  the  rocks  rest,  some  five  feet  upwards,  that 
is,  to  within  some  two  feet  of  the  roof,  which  would  be  suffi- 
cient for  us  to  crawl  through,  and  the  bamboos  would  serve 
as  a  ladder.  Then  I  propose  that  we  should  work  our  way 
along  the  top,  passing  the  small  stones  and  rubbish  back- 
wards, after  filling  up  all  the  cracks  and  crevices  below  us. 

"  I  see,  of  course,  that  we  should  meet  with  many  obstacles. 
Great  stones  may  be  sticking  up,  perhaps  jammed  against  the 
roof;  these  would  have  to  be  broken  off  or  chipped  in  pieces. 
No  doubt  the  work  will  take  time ;  but  at  any  rate  there  is 
plenty  of  food  for  three  weeks,  and  working  by  turns  night 
and  day  we  ought  to  be  able  to  burrow  our  way  out.  As  we 
get  on  we  may  not  find  the  stones  so  tightly  pressed  together 
as  they  are  here.  At  any  rate,  as  we  saw  the  light  above  us 
only  some  thirty  feet  up,  there  ought  not  to  be  above  twenty 
feet  of  closely-packed  stuff  to  get  through.  No  doubt  the 
work  will  be  dangerous  as  well  as  hard ;  but  as  we  know  that 
if  we  do  not  succeed  all  our  lives  are  forfeited,  we  can  face 
17 


258  ON    THE    IRRAWADDY 

the  danger.  Everyone  of  us  will  take  his  share  in  turn ;  I 
shall  do  so  myself,  and  shall  direct  the  work  in  general.  What 
do  you  think  of  the  plan  ?  ' ' 

'•I  think  that  it  is  possible,  master,"  Meinik  said.  "At 
any  rate  we  must  try  it,  since  it  is  the  only  way  that  offers  us 
any  chance  of  life." 

The  Burmese  all  agreed;  and  they  at  once  set  to  work. 
The  bamboos  were  first  cut  into  lengths,  and  then,  by  means 
of  the  axe  and  wedges,  were  jammed  so  firmly  from  side  to 
side,  that  it  would  have  required  great  force  to  dislodge  them. 
These  supports  were  somewhat  irregularly  placed,  as  it  was 
necessary  that  they  should  absolutely  touch  the  stones.  As 
they  proceeded  with  the  work,  the  spaces  behind  the  bamboos 
were  filled  tightly  up  with  rubble,  so  as  to  solidify  the  whole. 

When  the  last  support  was  in  its  place,  Stanley  said : 
"  Now,  Meinik,  do  you  with  these  three  work  to-night,  four 
others  will  take  your  place  before  dawn.  Mind,  at  first  I 
don't  want  you  to  attempt  to  move  any  fixed  stones,  but  sim- 
ply to  clear  away  all  small  stones  and  rubble ;  you  can  stow 
a  good  deal  behind  the  two  upper  bamboos,  the  rest  you 
must  put  on  the  stairs.  I  will  see  to-night  what  we  can  man- 
age in  the  way  of  tools  for  chipping  away  the  big  stones  that 
cannot  be  moved.  You  had  better  relieve  each  other  very 
often  ;  the  three  who  are  not  at  work  should  sit  down  on  the 
ledge  outside,  so  that  any  stone  accidentally  dislodged  will 
not  fall  on  anyone.  Every  ten  minutes  one  will  come  up  to 
take  the  place  of  the  man  at  work.  Be  sure  that  each  as  he 
passes  up  or  down  replaces  the  blanket  carefully." 

They  had,  indeed,  before  beginning  to  saw  up  the  bam- 
boos fastened  the  blanket  to  one  of  the  cross  pieces  of  the 
stretcher,  and  cutting  this  to  the  width  of  the  passage,  had 
jammed  it  close  up  to  the  roof,  so  that  the  curtain  hanging 
down  effectually  shut  off  the  light.     Stanley  then  descended 


THE    ATTACK  259 

the  steps  and  rejoined  Harry  below.  Before  going  down 
further,  Stanley,  who  had  during  the  day  informed  Harry  of 
his  plan,  told  him  of  the  start  that  they  had  made. 

' '  Of  course  it  all  depends  upon  what  stones  you  meet  with, ' ' 
Harry  said.  "  If  you  come  to  a  big  solid  block  I  don't  see 
how  you  are  going  to  get  through  it." 

"  We  have  the  hatchets  and  can  whittle  it  away,  and  per- 
haps we  can  make  some  chisels  from  the  ramrods  of  your 
guards'  guns.  A  lot  can  be  done  with  patience  and  plenty 
of  hands." 

Stanley  then  went  down  below  and  explained  to  the  others 
the  plan  proposed.  The  news  gave  them  great  satisfaction ; 
for  although  Meinik  had  told  them  there  was  a  staircase  above 
blocked  with  stones,  it  had  seemed  so  impossible  to  him  to 
clear  it  that  he  had  placed  no  stress  upon  the  fact,  and  the 
preparations  made  by  the  enemy  to  cut  off  any  possible  re- 
treat had  greatly  depressed  them.  Stanley  took  one  of  the 
iron  ramrods,  and  raking  some  of  the  embers  from  the  fire, 
placed  it  in  them  about  a  foot  from  one  end  ;  then  he  directed 
the  others  to  fan  the  embers  until  they  raised  them  almost  to 
white  heat.  Taking  the  ramrod  out,  he  laid  the  edge  of  one 
of  their  knives  upon  it,  and  striking  its  back  with  a  stone, 
soon  cut  through  the  glowing  rod.  He  repeated  the  opera- 
tion, and  had  then  three  short  rods  of  equal  length.  He  now 
heated  one  end  of  each,  and  laying  it  on  an  axe  on  the 
ground,  hammered  it  into  chisel  shape  with  the  back  of  a 
light  hatchet,  repeating  this  several  times  until  it  had  the  re- 
quired shape  and  sharpness,  then  he  plunged  this  into  a  pot 
of  water. 

He  did  the  same  with  the  other  two,  and  had  now  three 
chisels  with  which  he  hoped  to  be  able  to  chip  away  the 
stones.  The  other  ramrod  he  left  intact,  except  that  he 
sharpened    one    end,    then    going  up    to    Harry's  room  he 


260  ON    THE    IRRAWADDY 

lay  down  and  slept  for  some  hours,  putting  the  two  boys  on 
watch  and  bidding  the  trooper  look  after  them.  The  two 
Burmans,  with  one  of  the  guards,  were  to  go  to  work  with 
him.  Several  times  he  woke;  the  last  time,  on  looking  out, 
he  thought  that  there  was  a  faint  light  in  the  sky,  and  going 
down  called  up  the  three  men,  and  bidding  them  bring  up  the 
two  heavy  axes,  a  light  hatchet,  and  the  three  short  chisels, 
he  led  them  up  the  steps  to  the  working  party. 

<%  How  have  you  got  on,  Meinik  ?  " 

"  We  have  cleared  four  feet,  master,  but  there  is  a  big 
stone  sticking  up  now,  and  we  can  do  nothing  with  it." 

"We  will  have  a  try,  and  do  you  all  go  down  at  once. 
Take  off  your  cloth  one  of  you,  and  fill  it  with  this  rubbish 
on  the  steps.  Do  it  as  quickly  as  you  can,  the  day  will  be 
breaking  in  a  few  minutes." 

Stanley  now  climbed  up  and  investigated  the  passage.  The 
bottom  was  level,  every  crack  and  crevice  between  the  stones 
being  filled  up  with  rubbish.  The  obstacle  Meinik  had 
spoken  of  evidently  formed  part  of  a  flat  slab.  It  reached 
within  an  inch  of  the  roof,  and  at  one  side  touched  the  rock 
wall ;  at  the  other  there  was  an  interval  of  some  four  or  five 
inches,  and  the  earth  and  rubbish  had  already  been  scraped 
out  from  behind  it.  Putting  his  hand  in  he  found  that  the 
block  was  some  four  inches  in  thickness.  He  thought  that  if 
he  could  but  get  a  fair  blow  at  it  with  the  back  of  one  of  the 
heavy  axes  he  might  break  it  off,  but  this  was  impossible. 
The  total  width  of  the  passage  did  not  exceed  three  feet,  and 
as  the  men  had,  as  they  went,  worked  down  somewhat,  there 
was  now  about  thirty  inches  between  the  bed  of  earth  and 
rubbish  on  which  he  was  lying  and  the  roof.  Taking  the 
handle  of  the  axe  in  both  hands  he  used  the  head  as  a  batter- 
ing-ram, but  without  any  success.  He  then  called  up  the 
slightest  of  the  three  men,  and  told   him  to  crawl  in  beside 


THE    ATTACK  261 

him.  and  with  their  united  strength  they  pounded  the  stone 
for  some  time.  Finding  that  nothing  could  be  done  this 
way,  Stanley  sent  the  man  back  again,  and  then  taking  one 
of  the  three  chisels  and  a  small  hatchet,  he  proceeded  to  mark 
a  line  along  the  bottom  of  the  stone,  and  then  for  ten  min- 
utes worked  away  on  it  with  the  chisel  and  hammer.  Then 
he  called  up  one  of  the  others,  and  showed  him  what  he  was 
to  do.  All  day  they  worked  by  turns,  and  though  progress 
was  very  slow,  by  nightfall  the  groove  was  half  an  inch  deep. 

Stanley  and  the  strongest  Burman  then  went  in  together, 
and  lying  on  their  backs  again  tried  the  effect  of  the  heavy 
axe,  but  still  without  success.  Then  Stanley  told  the  man 
to  get  down  and  take  out  the  wedge  at  the  top  of  the  axe, 
and  to  cut  away  the  wood  below  the  head,  so  that  the  lat- 
ter would  slip  down  four  or  five  inches,  then  to  take  off  the 
head  of  the  other  heavy  axe  and  put  it  on  above  it,  and 
replace  the  wedge.      In  a  few  minutes  the  man  rejoined  him. 

"We  must  strike  it  as  near  the  roof  as  we  can,"  Stanley 
said.  Both  grasped  the  handle  firmly.  "  We  will  sway  it 
backwards  and  forwards  three  times,  and  the  third  time  strike. 
One,  two,  three — hooray  !  " 

As  the  two-headed  axe,  driven  with  their  united  force, 
struck  the  stone,  there  was  a  sharp  crack. 

"That  has  done  it,"  Stanley  said,  turning  over.  There 
was  a  dark  line  along  the  groove,  and  the  top  of  the  stone 
inclined  back  two  inches  from  the  perpendicular,  being  kept 
in  its  place  by  the  rubbish  behind  it.  Stanley  put  his  hand 
into  the  hole,  and  got  his  fingers  behind  the  stone,  while  the 
Burmese  put  the  chisel  into  the  crack  and  used  it  as  a  lever. 
In  two  or  three  minutes  the  stone  was  moved  out  of  its  posi- 
tion, taken  out  of  the  hole,  and  laid  down  on  the  steps.  Half 
an  hour  later  Meinik  came  up  with  a  trooper,  another  guard, 
and  one  of  the  boys,  and  was  delighted  to  find  that  the  obsta- 


2G2  ON    THE    IRRAWADDY 

cle,  which  had  seemed  to  him  fatal  to  their  hopes,  had  been 
removed.  Stanley  showed  how  they  had  carried  out  the  work, 
and  then  with  his  party  went  down  into  the  rock  chambers. 

"It  was  pretty  tiring  work,  Harry,"  he  said,  "  though  we 
were  only  at  it  about  a  quarter  of  an  hour  at  a  time.  My 
wrists  and  arms  and  shoulders  are  aching  as  if  I  had  been 
beaten  with  sticks.  To-morrow  I  will  take  up  a  good  supply 
of  fire-wood.  The  chisels  got  blunted  before  we  had  worked 
an  hour,  and  we  should  get  on  a  deal  faster  if  we  could  sharpen 
them  frequently." 

' '  Is  the  stone  hard  ?  ' ' 

"  No ;  it  is  a  sort  of  marble,  I  think.  We  had  the  under- 
part  of  the  slab  on  our  side,  and  I  did  not  think  of  looking 
when  we  took  it  down.  Anyhow,  it  was  not  very  hard,  and 
with  a  good  strong  chisel  and  a  short,  heavy  hammer,  I  am 
sure  we  could  have  done  it  in  an  hour.  Anyhow,  it  is  a  com- 
fort that  nothing  came  down  on  top  of  us.  I  examined  the  pile 
carefully,  and  there  had  not  been  the  slightest  movement 
among  the  lower  stones;  so  that  part  of  the  difficulty  seems 
to  have  been  got  over.  Now,  I  must  go  down  and  get  some- 
thing to  eat,  and  then  I  will  go  in  for  a  good  sleep.  You  are 
feeling  all  right,  I  hope?  " 

"  Could  not  be  doing  better,  Stanley.  I  have  eaten  three 
solid  meals  to-day,  and  have  been  sitting  up  on  the  edge  of 
my  bed  for  some  time.  I  tried  standing,  but  it  was  no  go ; 
still,  I  do  think  that  in  a  day  or  two  I  shall  manage  it." 

For  six  days  the  work  continued.  One  party  watched, 
another  slept,  and  the  third  worked,  by  turns.  Some  of  the 
stones  gave  much  greater  trouble  than  the  first  they  had  met 
with,  but  having  the  fire  close  by  proved  a  great  assistance,  as 
the  chisels  could  be  frequently  sharpened.  The  men  became 
more  accustomed  to  the  work,  and  the  steady  progress  they 
made  greatly  excited  their  hopes.     At  the  end  of  the  week 


THE    ATTACK  263 

but  one  stone  barred  the  way.  This,  however,  was  much  the 
most  formidable  that  they  had  encountered.  It  seemed  to 
have  been  a  pillar  or  a  huge  gate-po?t,  and  was  square,  meas- 
uring some  twenty  inches  on  each  face.  The  obstacle  was  all 
the  more  formidable,  as  the  upper  end  was  inclined  towards 
them,  greatly  increasing  the  difficulty  in  using  the  chisel. 
Beyond  this,  as  far  as  they  could  see,  there  was  merely  a  mass 
of  smaller  stones.  The  party  who  had  been  working  upon 
this  block  were  much  disheartened  when  Stanley  went  up  to 
relieve  them.  Owing  to  the  inclination  of  the  stone,  their 
chisels  could  get  but  little  bite,  and  though  they  had  been 
working  for  six  hours  at  it,  they  had  scarcely  made  any  im- 
pression ;  indeed  at  only  one  point  had  they  so  far  broken  the 
face  that  the  chisel  would  cut.  Meinik  had  come  down  two 
hours  before  to  report  to  Stanley  the  nature  of  the  obstacle, 
and  when  he  went  up  he  took  with  him  the  second  ramrod, 
which  had  not  hitherto  been  used. 

He  saw  at  once  that,  as  Meinik  had  told  him,  it  would  be 
impossible  to  get  through  this  block  by  the  same  means  as 
before,  for  as  the  groove  deepened  the  labour  would  become 
greater  and  greater,  and  from  the  inclination  of  the  stone  they 
would  in  time  arrive  at  a  point  where  the  axe  could  no  longer 
be  used  to  strike  the  chisel.  The  point  at  which  the  slight 
indentation  had  been  made  was  nearly  at  the  corner  of  the 
stone.  This  was  gradually  enlarged  by  hammering  upon  it 
with  the  head  of  the  axe,  and  after  an  hour's  work  the  surface 
had  been  so  far  pounded  that  the  chisel  could  get  a  flat 
hold  upon  it.  Then  Stanley  and  one  of  the  Burmans  lay 
down  and  placed  the  cutting  end  of  the  long  ramrod  against 
it,  and  the  others  by  turns  struck  the  end  with  the  back  of  a 
light  hatchet,  those  holding  the  rod  turning  it  slightly  after 
each  blow.  Every  half- hour  the  edge  of  the  chisel  was 
resharpened,  and  by  the  time  the  next  party  relieved  them,  a 


264  ON    THE    IRRAWADDY 

hole  of  half  an  inch  in  diameter  and  two  inches  deep  had  been 
drilled  in  the  stone.  Stanley  remained  with  the  new-comers 
for  half  an  hour,  instructing  them  in  the  work,  and  then  went 
below. 

' '  Well,  Stanley,  what  are  you  going  to  do  with  this  mon- 
strous stone  Meinik  tells  me  of  ?  " 

"  There  is  only  one  thing  to  do  with  it,  Harry;  that  is,  to 
blast  it.  The  block  is  so  inclined  that  one  can  do  nothing 
with  the  chisels,  and  we  are  now  drilling  a  hole.  I  don't 
know  that  I  shall  succeed,  but  at  any  rate  I  am  going  to  have 
a  try.  If  it  fails,  I  must  hit  on  some  other  way.  The  provi- 
sions are  holding  out  all  right,  and  Meinik  calculates  that, 
with  a  little  stinginess,  we  could  manage  for  another  three 
weeks.  We  have  drilled  the  hole  in  two  inches  to-day, 
and  as  we  get  more  accustomed  to  the  work  I  dare  say  we 
could  do  three  inches  in  each  shift.  The  block  is  twenty 
inches  through  on  the  straight,  and  may  be  two  feet  on  the 
line  that  we  follow,  so  that  in  four  days  we  shall  be  nearly 
through  it.  In  three  weeks  we  shall  have  made  five  holes, 
which  will  weaken  it  so  that  we  may  be  able  to  break  it  off. 
However,  I  hope  we  shall  find  one  hole  sufficient.  I  shall 
make  it  fifteen  inches  deep,  and  then  charge  it  with  the  con- 
tents of  a  dozen  cartridges.      I  think  that  ought  to  do  it." 

In  two  days  and  a  half  the  hole  was  of  the  required  depth. 
Harry  had  progressed  so  rapidly  that  he  was  able  that  morn- 
ing to  walk  across  his  room. 

"We  must  try  the  shot  at  once,"  Stanley  said,  "because 
if  it  fails  we  must  go  on  working  ;  if  it  succeeds  we  can,  if  we 
like,  wait  for  another  week  before  we  make  off.  By  that  time 
you  will  be  strong  enough  to  be  got  through  that  low  passage, 
and  walk  for  a  little  distance,  when  we  can  cut  some  poles 
and  rig  up  that  hammock  again.  Do  you  know  anything 
about  mining,  for  I  know  nothing  ?     I  only  had  an  idea  how 


THE    ATTACK  205 

to  drill  the  hole  from  seeing  some  engineers  at  work  at  Agra 
years  ago,  but  I  am  sure  I  don't  know  how  they  fired  the 
shot  or  prepared  it. ' ' 

"  I  can  tell  you  a  little  about  it,  Stanley,  for  I  have  been 
down  a  coal  mine  once  or  twice,  and  watched  the  men  doing 
it.  They  first  of  all  put  in  the  charge,  then  they  put  in  a 
wooden  rod  just  the  thickness  of  the  fuse  they  use,  then  they 
dropped  in  a  little  dry  dust  round  it,  which  they  pressed 
down  very  carefully  with  a  small  wooden  rod ;  then  they 
damped  some  dust,  and  hammered  that  down  hard.  After 
putting  in  about  half  an  inch  of  this,  they  used  dust  slightly 
moistened,  beating  it  down  as  before.  When  it  was  quite 
full  they  pulled  out  the  centre  stick,  and  put  the  fuse  into  the 
hole  that  it  left." 

"  We  have  not  got  any  fuse,"  Stanley  said,  "but  I  think 
that  if  we  take  a  narrow  strip  of  cloth,  moisten  it,  and  rub 
gunpowder  into  it,  let  it  dry,  and  then  roll  it  up,  it  would  be 
all  right.  Then  we  could  lay  a  train  of  damp  powder  to  it, 
set  the  end  alight,  and  bolt." 

"  I  should  think  that  that  would  do,"  Harry  agreed,  "  but 
you  would  have  to  bolt  very  sharp,  for  if  it  went  off  before 
you  got  to  the  bottom  of  the  steps  it  might  be  very  awk- 
ward." 

"  I  don't  think  the  effect  of  the  shock  will  be  as  great  as 
that,  Harry.  It  may  crack  the  stone,  but  I  should  hardly 
think  it  would  send  anything  flying  out  of  the  hole." 


2G6  ON    THE    IRRAWADDY 

CHAPTER  XVI 

REJOINING 

EVERY  day  since  the  siege  had  begun  the  defenders  had 
fired  an  occasional  shot  at  the  stockade,  not  with  any 
idea  of  doing  any  damage,  but  in  order  that  the  assailants 
should  know  that  they  were  still  in  the  cavern.  That  even- 
ing, when  the  hole  had  got  to  the  proper  depth,  Stanley, 
having  prepared  his  fuse,  went  up  with  twenty  cartridges  in 
his  pocket,  accompanied  by  Meinik.  The  hole  was  charged 
and  tamped  and  the  fuse  inserted ;  this  took  a  considerable 
time.  The  fuse  had  been  cut  so  that  an  inch  of  it  projected 
outside  the  hole.  The  other  eight  cartridges  were  then 
broken  up,  and  the  powder  moistened,  and  a  train  some  two 
feet  long  laid  from  the  fuse  towards  the  entrance  of  the  hole. 
Then  a  piece  of  rag  was  wrapped  round  one  end  of  the  ram- 
rod, and  this,  again,  was  tied  to  a  long  rod  that  had  the  night 
before  been  cut  by  one  of  the  boys,  who  had  slipped  out 
,  noiselessly  from  the  entrance.  The  rag  had  been  moistened 
and  rubbed  with  gunpowder. 

"  Now,  Meinik,"  Stanley  said,  "  everything  is  ready.  This 
rod  is  sixteen  feet  long,  so  that,  lying  down,  my  feet  will  be 
just  at  the  edge  of  the  hole,  and  I  shall  be  able  to  drop  down 
as  soon  as  I  have  lighted  the  train,  and  bolt.  I  shall  fix  a 
torch  a  foot  or  so  from  the  train,  then  I  shall  only  have  to 
lift  the  rod  to  it,  light  the  rag,  set  fire  to  the  train,  and  then 
slide  down  and  bolt.      Now,  you  must  go  down  first." 

"No,  master,"  Meinik  said  firmly;  "I  will  light  the 
train.  I  do  not  think  that  there  is  any  danger,  but  whether 
there  is  or  not  I  shall  undertake  it.  If  I  am  killed  it  does 
not  matter,  while  if  you  were  killed  all  would  be  lost,  for  if 
the  explosion  did  not  burst  the  stone,  I  am  sure  that  we 


REJOINING  267 

should  never  be  able  to  get  through  it  without  you  to  direct 
us.  Xo,  master,  if  you  stay,  I  stay,  and  that  would  only 
lessen  our  chances  of  running  down  the  steps  in  time." 

Stanley  argued,  and  even  ordered,  but  Meinik  was  ob- 
stinate, and  seeing  that  the  faithful  Burman  was  not  to  be 
moved,  he  reluctantly  left  the  matter  in  his  hands,  and  went 
downstairs.  He  moved  a  short  distance  along  the  ledge  and 
waited.  The  time  seemed  an  age  to  him,  so  that  he  gave  an 
exclamation  of  delight  when  Meinik  suddenly  came  into 
sight,  and  took  his  place  beside  him. 

"  I  have  lit  the  train,  master.  The  powder  fizzed  up,  but 
did  not  seem  to  burn  very  fast. ' ' 

It  was  indeed  another  two  minutes  before  a  deep  muffled 
roar  was  heard.  There  was  no  further  noise,  but  they  heard 
shouts  from  the  Burmans  behind  the  stockades. 

"They  will  be  wondering  what  the  sound  is,"  Stanley 
said,  "but  they  will  not  be  able  to  tell  from  what  direction 
it  came,  for  I  expect  they  were  pretty  nearly  all  sound  asleep. 
Now  let  us  go  up  and  see  the  result." 

They  made  their  way  up  the  steps,  which  were  now  in 
entire  darkness.  The  curtain  still  hung  in  its  place  some  ten 
feet  below  the  obstacle.  They  lit  a  torch  from  the  embers  in 
the  pan.  and  then  Stanley  climbed  up  into  the  passage  and 
hastily  crawled  along.  He  gave  a  cry  of  satisfaction  as  he 
approached  the  end.  The  explosion  had  been  completely 
successful — the  end  of  the  block  lay  on  the  ground  ;  whether 
the  whole  of  it  had  been  blown  off  or  not  he  could  not  see, 
but  he  felt  sure  that  the  greater  portion  must  have  split  off. 
It  was  evident  that  it  would  take  a  considerable  amount  of 
time,  and  would  require  the  strength  of  several  men  to  get 
the  block  out.  They  therefore  descended  at  once  to  gladden 
the  hearts  of  those  below,  with  the  news  that  the  way  out  was 
now  available  to  them  whenever  they  chose  to  leave. 


268  ON    THE    IRRAWADDY 

Harry  manifested  no  surprise  whatever  at  the  news.  "  I 
made  sure  that  you  would  succeed,  Stanley.  After  getting  me 
off  as  you  did,  and  making  your  own  escape  before,  it  seems 
to  me  that  you  have  got  hold  of  the  '  open  sesame  '  of  Ali 
Baba,  and  have  only  to  use  the  cabalistic  words  to  walk  in 
and  out  wherever  you  want  to  go." 

"  I  don't  feel  by  any  means  so  certain  of  my  own  powers 
as  you  seem  to  be,  Harry,  and  I  can  assure  you  I  was  very 
doubtful  whether  that  shot  would  succeed.  I  hoped  at  any 
rate  that  it  would  blow  a  good  bit  of  the  stone  out,  and  in 
that  case  we  could  have  got  the  chisels  to  work  again.  It 
was  the  slanting  position  of  the  block  that  beat  us.  How- 
ever, thank  goodness,  the  work  is  done  now,  and  you  have 
only  to  get  a  bit  stronger,  and  we  will  be  off." 

"I  am  quite  ready  to  start  now,  Stanley;  I  think  it  is 
absurd  waiting  any  longer,  for  there  is  never  any  saying  what 
might  take  place.  That  Burmese  general,  who  seems  to  be 
an  obstinate  beggar,  might  take  it  into  his  head  to  place  a 
guard  on  the  top  of  the  hill,  and  then  all  your  labour  will 
have  been  thrown  away." 

"  That  is  true  enough,  Harry  ;  and  as  I  really  don't  think 
that  travelling  now  would  be  likely  to  do  you  any  serious  harm 
I  will  decide  on  to-morrow.  At  any  rate,  I  will  take  some 
men  up  at  once  and  get  that  stone  out." 

The  task  was  a  difficult  one.  The  block  of  stone  was  so 
nearly  the  size  of  the  passage  that  they  could  not  get  a  rope 
round  behind  it,  and  after  trying  for  two  hours  in  vain  they 
determined  that  the  only  course  was  to  push  it  before  them. 
They  soon  found,  however,  that  this  was  impossible,  and  that 
a  part  at  least  of  the  stone  was  remaining  in  its  place.  Fi- 
nally, they  succeeded  in  pushing  a  loop  in  the  rope  over  the 
top  of  the  block,  and  then  by  main  force  eight  of  them 
pulled  it  out  of  the  hole  and  lowered  it  on  to  the  top  step. 


REJOINING  2G9 

By  the  time  that  they  had  done  this  dawn  was  approaching, 
and  they  therefore  returned  at  once  to  the  chambers  below. 

The  men  were  all  much  pleased  when  Stanley  told  them 
that  they  would  leave  that  night.  Confident  as  they  felt  that 
the  Burmese  could  not  force  their  way  in,  a  new  feeling  of 
nervousness  seized  them,  now  that  the  way  was  open,  lest 
some  unforeseen  circumstances  might  occur  to  prevent  their 
going.  The  rice  that  remained  was  made  up  into  three  or  four 
packages  ;  the  meat  had  long  before  been  finished.  Stanley 
had  a  discussion  with  Meinik  as  to  how  Harry  had  best  be 
taken  through  the  passage.  He  could,  they  agreed,  walk  along 
the  ledge  with  one  before  and  one  behind  to  steady  him,  and 
could  then  be  carried  up  the  steps  in  a  blanket  by  four  men. 
He  must,  of  course,  be  lifted  into  the  passage  and  dragged 
through  it  to  the  end  ;  after  that  it  would  be  easy  enough. 
Six  men  could  carry  him  in  a  blanket  until  far  enough  away 
for  them  to  chop  poles  without  the  sound  of  the  axes  being 
heard  by  the  Burmese.  From  the  time  they  began  their  work 
every  pains  had  been  taken  to  deaden  sounds.  The  blanket 
hung  across  the  passage  had  acted  as  a  muffler  to  some  extent, 
but  a  piece  of  cloth  had  always  been  tied  over  the  hammer 
heads  of  the  axes  to  prevent  the  sharp  clinking  sounds  of  the 
blows  on  the  chisels  or  stone  being  heard. 

As  soon  as  it  was  dark  enough  for  them  to  pass  along  the 
ledge  Meinik  went  with  Stanley  to  examine  the  ground.  Fort- 
unately the  portion  of  stone  that  remained  above  the  level 
and  prevented  the  rock  from  being  rolled  back  was  but  small. 
and  they  were  able  to  break  it  up  in  half  an  hour  with  the 
axes.  Then,  making  their  way  along  without  difficulty  for 
another  four  feet,  they  found  themselves  standing  upright  in 
the  depression  in  the  centre  of  the  ruin.  Mounting  six  more 
steps,  they  were  among  the  bushes  that  covered  the  site  of  the 
temple.     They  now  carefully  cleared  away  every  fragment  of 


270  ON    THE    IRRAWADDY 

stone  from  the  floor  of  the  passage,  and  returning,  Stanley 
gave  orders  for  the  start  to  be  made.  Two  or  three  shots 
were  fired  from  the  lower  entrance  to  show  the  enemy  that 
the)-  were  there  and  on  the  watch,  and  then  all  went  up  to 
Harry's  room.  He  had  been  dressed  for  the  first  time  and 
was  ready  for  the  start.  Two  of  the  strongest  of  the  Bur- 
mans  went  on  first. 

"  Now,  Harry,  you  are  to  put  your  hands  on  my  shoulders. 
Meinik  will  follow  close  behind  you,  and  will  keep  his  arms 
round  you  in  case  you  need  help.  Of  course  we  shall  go 
along  very  slowly." 

"  I  don't  think  that  all  these  precautions  are  necessary," 
Harry  said.  "  I  am  sure  that  I  can  walk  that  distance  easily 
enough.     Why,  you  say  the  stair  is  only  about  forty  feet." 

"  I  dare  say  you  could,  Harry  ;  but  we  don't  want  to  run 
any  risks.  Your  head  is  not  very  strong  at  present,  and  you 
might  turn  giddy,  or  you  might  stumble.  So  at  present  you 
will  have  just  to  do  as  you  are  told.      Let  us  start." 

Harry  did  not  find  it  as  easy  as  he  had  expected  getting  out 
through  the  lower  opening,  and  he  was  by  no  means  sorry  to 
have  the  support  of  Stanley  and  Meinik  as  he  proceeded  along 
the  ledge.  They  moved  very  carefully  and  slowly,  and  all 
were  greatly  relieved  when  he  sat  down  on  a  blanket  laid  on 
the  steps. 

"  Now  lie  back,  Harry  ;  we  shall  have  no  difficulty  in  get- 
ting you  up  here." 

Two  Burmans  took  the  upper  end  of  the  blanket,  Stanley 
and  Meinik  the  lower,  and  they  were  soon  at  the  top  of  the 
steps. 

"  You  are  not  very  heavy  now,  Harry,  but  you  are  a  good 
deal  heavier  than  you  were  when  we  brought  you  in  below. 
Now  the  next  is  the  most  difficult  part  of  the  work — once  we 
get  you  through  this  passage  it  will  be  plain  sailing.     You  see, 


REJOINING  271 

you  will  have  to  be  dragged.  The  place  is  only  two  feet  high, 
so  that  it  would  be  impossible  to  lift  you  at  all.  We  have 
made  the  floor  as  smooth  as  we  can,  but  I  am  afraid  that 
there  are  a  good  many  projecting  corners  that  will  try  you  a 
good  deal." 

: '  It  cannot  be  helped,  Stanley.  Fire  away  as  soon  as  you 
lfee." 

The  rest  of  the  party  were  now  all  gathered  on  the  steps 
below,  and  Meinik  and  Stanley,  getting  up  first  into  the  hole, 
received  Harry  as  the  others  lifted  him,  and  with  the  aid  of 
two  of  the  Burmans  laid  him  on  his  blanket  in  the  passage. 

"  Now,"  Stanley  said  to  the  two  men  who  took  the  other 
end  of  the  blanket,  "  keep  it  as  tight  as  you  can,  and  when  I 
say  ',  lift '  we  will  all  lift  together  and  move  him  forward  a  few 
inches.  Do  not  hurry  over  it — we  have  plenty  of  time  before 
us." 

They  were  packed  so  closely  that  they  had  each  but  one 
arm  available.  Little  by  little  they  moved  him  along,  gain- 
ing some  six  inches  each  time  ;  then  all  had  to  move  so  as  to 
place  themselves  for  the  next  effort.  However,  in  five  or  six 
minutes  they  had  him  through,  and  carried  him  up  into  the 
open  air.  The  rest  of  the  party  at  once  joined  them,  and, 
with  three  of  the  natives  on  each  side  of  the  blanket,  they 
were  soon  beyond  the  circle  of  ruins,  and  making  at  a  brisk 
pace  through  the  forest.  After  going  for  a  quarter  of  a  mile 
they  stopped,  cut  some  poles  for  the  hammock,  and  in  a  short 
time  were  on  their  way  again,  having  placed  in  it  one  of  the 
bags  of  rice  as  a  pillow  for  Harry. 

They  travelled  for  some  hours,  and  then  halted  to  cook  some 
rice.  All  had  slept  a  good  deal  during  the  day,  so  that  after 
resting  for  an  hour  they  proceeded  on  their  way  again.  They 
had  no  fear  whatever  of  pursuit,  and  the  only  danger  that 
they  could  incur  was  from  meeting  with  a  band  similar  to  that 


272  ON    THE    IRRAWADDY 

which  had  carried  Harry  off.  When  they  rigged  up  the  ham- 
mock, they  had  cut  wood  for  torches  to  protect  themselves 
from  tigers  ;  these  were  thrown  away  as  soon  as  daylight 
broke.  At  mid-day  they  halted  again  for  another  hour,  and 
then,  continuing  their  journey,  arrived  at  the  village  before 
nightfall.  They  were  received  with  great  joy,  the  villagers 
setting  up  a  shout  of  welcome,  the  friends  of  the  men  and 
boys  being  especially  exuberant  in  their  joy,  for  they  had  be- 
come extremely  anxious  at  their  long  absence.  The  two 
troopers  were  still  there,  and  these  saluted  Stanley  with  less 
than  the  usual  stiff  formality  of  the  Mohammedan  soldier.  He 
himself  laughed. 

"  I  don't  look  much  like  a  British  officer  at  present,"  he 
said  in  their  language.  "  Well,  has  everything  been  quiet 
here?" 

"  Yes,  sahib  ;  a  sowar  brought  us  orders  from  the  general 
to  remain  here,  and  to  send  at  once  if  we  heard  any  news  of 
you.  We  sent  off  one  of  the  villagers  when  the  man  came 
back  to  fetch  the  others,  and  said  that  you  had  good  hopes 
of  getting  Lieutenant  Brooke  sahib  out  of  the  hands  of  the 
Burmese. ' ' 

"  I  will  write  a  note,"  Stanley  said.  "  Get  your  horse  sad- 
dled at  once.  Directly  we  have  made  Mr.  Brooke  comforta- 
ble, I  will  give  you  the  letter. ' ' 

During  the  time  that  Stanley  had  been  absent  the  houses 
had  been  re-erected,  and  the  village  had  assumed  its  general 
appearance.  A  hut  was  at  once  handed  over  to  them,  and 
Harry  laid  on  a  bamboo  pallet.  He  had  not  slept  most  of 
the  way  down. 

"  You  see  I  was  quite  right,  Stanley.  I  told  you  that  the 
journey  would  be  nothing." 

"  Fortunately  it  has  turned  out  so.  Meinik  has  already 
killed  a  chicken,  and  will  make  it  into  broth  for  you.      It 


REJOINING  273 

will  be  a  change  for  you  after  your  diet  of  rice.  The  cook- 
ing was  excellent  for  the  first  three  or  four  days,  but  it  fell  off 
sadly.  That  was  one  of  the  reasons  why  I  gave  way  to  your 
wish  to  start  at  once.  You  have  done  wonderfully  well,  but 
a  constant  diet  of  rice  is  not  quite  the  thing  for  building  up  a 
sick  man. 

*'  Now  I  am  going  to  write  a  few  lines  to  the  general  to  say 
that  you  have  got  safely  down,  but  will  need  at  least  another 
week  before  you  are  able  to  sit  on  a  horse.  Of  course  you 
can  be  carried  on  ;  but  I  think  that  the  air  here  is  a  great 
deal  more  healthy  and  bracing  than  it  is  at  Prome,  and  the 
longer  you  stay  here  the  better. ' ' 

Stanley's  note  was  a  short  one ;  it  merely  said  that  he  had 
succeeded  in  getting  his  cousin  and  the  trooper  who  was  carried 
off  at  the  same  time  from  the  hands  of  the  Burmese,  but  that 
Harry  was  still  very  weak,  and  that  if  he  himself  could  be 
spared  he  would  stay  with  him  at  the  village  for  another  week 
or  ten  days,  at  the  end  of  which  time  he  would  ride  by  easy 
stages  to  Prome.  Three  days  later  the  trooper  returned  with 
a  note  from  the  general. 

"  /  congratulate  you  most  heartily  on  having  rescued  your 
cousin,''''  he  wrote.  "  By  all  means  stay  where  you  are  until 
he  is  quite  strong  again  ;  this  place  is  not  at  all  healthy  at 
present.  We  shall  not  be  moving  forward  for  another  three 
weeks. ' ' 

Stanley  remained  at  the  village  for  another  fortnight,  and 
at  the  end  of  that  time  Harry  had  so  far  recovered  that  he 
was  quite  capable  of  making  a  short  day's  journey  on  horse- 
back. Two  of  the  men  who  had  aided  in  the  rescue  had  gone 
to  Prome  with  an  order  from  Stanley  on  the  staff  paymaster, 
for  the  rewards  that  had  been  promised  to  the  villagers  and 


274  ON    THE    IRRAWADDY 

the  two  Burmese  soldiers.  They  returned  with  the  money, 
and  the  men  were  all  highly  delighted  at  the  result  of  the 
expedition. 

Stanley  retained  the  services  of  the  two  soldiers  as  long  as 
he  remained  in  the  village.  He  had  no  fear  whatever  of  the 
same  band  returning  that  had  before  visited  the  village,  and 
he  learned  that  no  others  had  been  heard  of  in  the  neighbour- 
hood ;  but  at  the  same  time  he  thought  it  as  well  that  a  man 
should  be  on  guard  night  and  day  at  each  end  of  the  village. 
The  peasants  agreed  to  watch  at  one  end,  while  the  two  Bur- 
mese soldiers  and  the  troopers  took  charge  of  the  other  end. 
The  bulk  of  the  villagers  were  engaged  in  forming  a  strong 
stockade  round  it  to  defend  themselves  in  case  of  further 
attack,  and  Stanley  promised  to  send  them  down  twenty 
muskets  and  a  supply  of  ammunition  as  soon  as  he  got  to 
Prome.  There  was  real  regret  on  the  part  of  the  Burmese 
when  the  time  came  for  the  party  to  start.  It  had  been 
something  altogether  new  to  them  to  have  officials  among 
them  who  paid  for  everything.  These  Englishmen  had 
treated  them  kindly,  and  were  pleased  and  contented  with 
everything.  The  money  that  the  five  men  and  two  boys 
had  earned  had  enriched  the  village,  and  had  enabled  them 
to  more  than  replace  their  losses  by  the  recent  raid,  and  if 
Stanley  had  accepted  all  the  presents  of  fruit,  fowls,  and  eggs 
they  would  have  given  him,  he  would  have- needed  a  couple 
of  extra  horses  to  convey  them.  A  strong  pony  had  been 
purchased  for  Meinik,  and  after  taking  a  hearty  leave  of  the 
villagers  the  party  rode  off. 

"  I  wish  we  had  such  a  good  cook  as  your  man  is,  Stan- 
ley," Harry  said  as  they  journeyed  along  at  a  walk.  "I 
never  tasted  better  soup  than  he  serves  up.  I  must  really  get 
him  to  teach  our  mess  cook  how  to  make  it." 

' '  Do  you  know  what  it  is,  Harry  ?  ' ' 


REJOINING  275 

"  I  have  not  the  least  idea ;  it  might  be  anything.  I  think 
that  it  tasted  to  me  more  like  stewed  eels  than  anything 
else. ' ' 

"  You  are  not  very  far  out.  It  is  made  of  the  creatures  you 
turned  up  your  nose  at — snakes." 

"  Nonsense,  Stanley  !  " 

'•'It  is,  I  can  assure  you.  I  would  not  tell  you  before 
because  it  might  have  set  you  against  it.  That  soup  you  had 
in  the  cave  was  made  from  snake-flesh.  The  recesses  in  parts 
of  the  caves  swarmed  with  them,  and  the  men  laid  in  quite  a 
store  of  them  before  we  were  besieged.  Unfortunately  they 
would  not  keep  well  even  in  these  cool  chambers,  so  we  had 
to  fall  back  on  rice.  You  liked  it  so  much  that,  though  there 
was  no  occasion  to  have  gone  on  with  snake  soup  after  we  got 
to  the  village,  I  continued  to  give  it  to  you,  for  it  is  very 
nourishing." 

"  Well,  I  am  glad  you  did  not  tell  me  at  the  time,  but  I 
must  own  that  it  Avas  excellent,  and  I  think  that  in  future  I 
shall  have  no  objection  to  snake  in  that  form." 

"They  are  just  as  good  in  other  ways,"  Stanley  replied. 
"  The  Burmans  are  no  fools,  and  I  consider  that  snake  and 
lizards  are  very  much  better  eating  than  their  mutton,  which 
is  tasteless  stuff  at  the  best. ' ' 

"  We  shall  have  to  have  a  big  settlement  when  we  get 
back,  Stanley.  Of  course  all  those  men  you  paid  and  the 
guards  you  bribed  are  entirely  my  account,  to  say  nothing  of 
my  share  of  the  general  expenditure." 

"  The  general  expenses  are  practically  nothing,  Harry.  I 
invited  you  to  come  with  me,  and  of  course  you  were  my 
guest.  As  to  the  other  matter,  that  also  is  my  business.  I 
would  not  say  so  if  I  had  not  plenty  of  funds,  but  what 
with  my  pay  as  interpreter,  and  the  year  of  back  pay  that 
I  got  when  the  Gazette  came  out,  I  have  plenty  out  of  my 


276  ON    THE    IRRAWADDY 

income  to  pay  for  it  without  breaking  in  upon  the  amount  I 
told  you  I  had  got  for  those  rubies." 

"  I  should  pay  you,  Stanley,  if  you  were  rolling  in  money. 
Not  that  I  should  mind  taking  money  from  you  if  I  wanted  it, 
but  my  expenses  since  I  landed  here  have  not  been  anything 
approaching  my  pay  and  allowances;  and  I  have  besides,  as  I 
told  you,  an  income  of  ^500  a  year  of  my  own.  You  have 
risked  your  life  for  me,  and  I  am  not  going  to  let  you  pay  the 
piper  as  well." 

"  All  right,  if  it  pleases  you,  Harry.  I  am  delighted  at 
having  been  able  to  save  you,  and  just  at  present  money  does 
not  seem  an  important  matter  one  way  or  the  other,  so  if  it 
really  would  be  a  satisfaction  to  you  to  pay  I  will  certainly 
not  deprive  you  of  it." 

Although  they  only  travelled  ten  miles  the  first  day,  Harry 
acknowledged  that  he  was  as  tired  as  a  dog  when  he  dis- 
mounted, and  was  so  stiff  the  next  morning  that  he  had  to  be 
helped  on  to  his  horse.  However,  this  gradually  wore  off, 
and  on  the  evening  of  the  fourth  day,  they  arrived  at  Prome. 
Leaving  Harry  at  his  regimental  camp,  Stanley  rode  to  the 
headquarters,  and  there  dismounted.  Meinik  had  led  the 
second  horse  after  Harry  dismounted,  and  now  took  them 
both  across  to  the  lines  with  the  air  of  a  man  who  has  only 
been  away  a  few  hours.  Stanley  at  once  went  up  to  the 
general. 

"Welcome  back,  lad!"  Sir  Archibald  said,  "you  have 
been  longer  away  than  we  expected  when  you  started.  I 
am  glad,  indeed,  that  you  succeeded  in  rescuing  your  cousin  ; 
and  we  are  all  burning  to  hear  about  it.  I  wrote  that  note  to 
you  in  a  hurry,  for  I  was  on  the  point  of  going  on  a  round  of 
inspection  of  the  camp  when  your  sowar  arrived.  I  intended 
to  question  him  concerning  you  on  my  return,  for  I  had  no 
idea  that  after  making  such  a  long  journey  he  would  start  back 


REJOINING  277 

at  once,  but  I  found  that  he  had  ridden  straight  off  directly 
the  note  was  handed  to  him.  You  must  dine  with  me  to- 
day, and  tell  me  all  the  story.  I  see  from  the  colour  of 
your  skin  that  you  have  been  in  disguise  again." 

"  Yes,  sir  ;  there  were  materials  for  dyeing  the  skin  in  the 
village,  but  nothing  that  availed  to  take  it  off.  It  is  gradu- 
ally'going,  and  as  I  shall  be  now  able  to  get  some  strong 
alkali  from  the  doctor,  I  hope  I  shall  be  presentable  by  to- 
morrow. ' ' 

"They  are  honourable  marks,"  the  general  said  with  a 
smile.  "  I  don't  think  any  of  us  would  mind  being  so 
coloured  for  a  bit  if  we  had  done  such  good  work  as  you 
have  ;  but  I  won't  detain  you  now,  for  dinner  will  be  ready  in 
half  an  hour. ' ' 

Stanley  hurried  to  his  room,  took  a  bath,  donned  his  mess 
uniform,  and  was  ready  by  the  time  the  bugle  sounded. 
Three  or  four  of  the  staff  were,  as  usual,  members  of  the  party. 
After  the  meal  was  over,  he  was  requested  to  narrate  his 
adventures  at  full  length.  The  story  was  necessarily  a  long 
one,  and  when  he  concluded  all  joined  the  general  in  hearty 
commendation  for  the  manner  in  which  he  had  carried  out 
the  adventure. 

"Your  last  story  was  a  stirring  one,  Mr.  Brooke,"  the 
general  said;  "  but  this  is  even  more  so.  When  I  received 
your  first  note  I  thought  it  next  door  to  madness  for  you  to 
try  to  get  your  cousin,  badly  wounded  as  you  knew  him  to 
be,  from  the  hands  of  the  Burmese.  It  is  not  an  easy  thing 
to  get  any  man  out  of  prison,  but  when  the  man  was  unable 
to  help  himself  it  seemed  well-nigh  impossible  ;  and  I  was 
greatly  afraid  that,  instead  of  saving  his  life,  you  would  lose 
your  own.  Of  course,  the  fact  that  you  had  successfully 
traversed  the  country  before,  was  strongly  in  your  favour  ; 
but  then  you  were  unencumbered,  and  the  two  things  were, 


278  ON    THE    IRRAWADDY 

therefore,  not  to  be  compared  with  each  other.  I  shall,  of 
course,  put  you  in  orders  to-morrow  as  having  performed  a 
singularly  gallant  action  in  rescuing  Lieutenant  Brooke  of 
the  47th  and  a  sowar  from  their  captivity  by  the  Burmese  in 
a  prison  at  Toungoo.  You  have  arrived  just  in  time,  for  after 
endeavouring  to  fool  us  for  the  past  three  months  by  negotia- 
tions never  meant  to  come  to  anything,  the  enemy  are  now 
advancing  in  great  force,  and  are  within  a  few  miles  of  the 
town.  So  we  are  likely  to  have  hot  work  of  it,  for,  from  all 
accounts,  they  have  got  nearly  as  large  an  army  together 
as  Bandoola  had.  I  don't  know  whether  they  have  learned 
anything  from  his  misfortunes,  but  I  am  bound  to  say  that  the 
court  does  not  seem  to  have  taken  the  lesson  in  the  slightest 
degree  to  heart,  and  their  arrogance  is  just  as  insufferable  as  it 
was  before  a  shot  was  fired." 

Stanley  learnt  that  there  had  already  been  one  fight.  The 
enemy  were  advancing  in  three  columns  ;  their  right,  consist 
ing  of  15,000  men,  commanded  by  Sudda  Woon,  had 
crossed  the  Irrawaddy  and  was  marching  down  the  other 
bank  with  the  apparent  object  of  recrossing  below  Prome  and 
cutting  the  British  line  of  communication ;  the  centre,  from 
25,000  to  30,000  strong,  commanded  by  the  Kee  Wongee, 
was  coming  down  the  left  bank  of  the  river  accompanied  by  a 
great  fleet  of  war  boats;  the  left  division,  15,000  strong,  led 
by  an  old  and  experienced  general,  Maha  Nemiow,  was  mov- 
ing parallel  with  the  others,  about  ten  miles  distant  from  the 
centre,  but  separated  from  it  by  a  thick  and  impenetrable 
forest  ;  a  reserve  of  10,000  men,  commanded  by  the  king's 
half-brother,  occupied  a  strongly  fortified  post  at  Melloon. 
In  addition  to  these,  a  large  force  was  gathered  near  Pegu, 
and  threatened  an  attack  upon  Rangoon.  On  the  10th  of 
November,  a  fortnight  before  Stanley's  return,  two  brigades 
of  native  infantry,  under   Colonel  M'Dowall,  had  marched 


REJOINING  279 

out  to  dislodge  Maha  Nemiow,  whose  division  threatened  to 
turn  the  British  right  and  to  move  round  to  its  rear. 

The  force  was  divided  into  three  columns,  one  moving 
directly  towards  the  enemy's  position,  the  others  marching  by 
circuitous  routes,  so  arranged  as  to  arrive  at  the  point  of 
attack  at  the  same  time,  were  to  attack  in  flank  and  rear, 
whilethe  main  body  assailed  the  enemy  in  front.  The  Bur- 
mese had,  however,  obtained  information  from  spies  of  the 
intended  movement,  and  advancing  boldly  met  the  British 
columns  halfway,  skirmishing  with  them  hotly  in  the  woods 
and  threatening  an  attack  by  large  bodies  of  horse.  The  cen- 
tre drove  the  Burmese  before  them  and  reached  their  stock- 
aded position.  Colonel  M'Dowall,  while  reconnoitring  it, 
was  killed  by  a  ball  from  a  musket  :  and  as  the  two  flanking 
columns  did  not  arrive  as  expected,  the  force  was  compelled 
to  fall  back.  The  retreat  was  conducted  in  good  order,  but 
the  loss  was  heavy,  as  the  Burmese  pressed  hotly  upon  them 
for  several  miles. 

Since  this  unfortunate  affair  the  enemy  had  steadily  ad- 
vanced. Maha  Nemiow  had  moved  directly  upon  Prome, 
advancing  slowly,  and  constantly  stockading  himself.  The 
centre  had  also  advanced,  and  was  now  fortifying  some 
heights  above  the  river  five  miles  away,  within  sight  of 
Prome.  Sudda  Woon  was  intrenching  himself  on  the  oppo- 
site bank.  All  these  divisions  were  working  day  and  night, 
advancing  steadily  but  slowly  and  erecting  formidable  lines 
of  intrenchments  as  they  went ;  and  it  seemed  to  be  the  inten- 
tion of  the  Burmese  general  to  proceed  in  that  manner  until 
the  whole  of  his  troops  were  gathered  within  a  very  short  dis- 
tance of  the  town,  and  then  to  rush  upon  it  from  all  sides. 

In  the  morning  Stanley  went  to  the  lines  of  the  47th. 
Harry  had  of  course  told  his  story  on  his  arrival,  and  the  tale 
had  circulated  generally  through  the  regiment,  and  as  he  rode 


280  ON    THE    IRRAWADDY 

in,  the  men  ran  out  from  their  huts  and  cheered  him  heartily. 
No  less  warm  a  greeting  did  he  receive  from  the  officers,  in 
spite  of  his  protest  that  there  had  really  been  no  great  diffi- 
culty or  danger  in  the  affair. 

"  What  I  specially  admire,"  one  of  the  officers  said,  laugh- 
ing, "  is  that  any  man  should  have  run  all  this  risk  on  pur- 
pose to  prevent  himself  from  coming  into  an  earldom.  You 
had  only  to  leave  the  matter  alone,  and  there  you  were — heir 
to  title  and  estates." 

"  I  should  have  been  haunted  by  Harry's  ghost,"  Stanley 
laughed.  "  It  would  have  been  as  bad  as  Banquo  and  Mac- 
beth ;  he  would  have  sat  at  my  table  and  stood  at  the  head  of 
my  bed.  No,  no;  that  would  have  been  a  much  more  seri- 
ous affair  to  face,  than  a  party  of  Burmese.  The  title  and 
estates  would  have  been  too  dear  at  the  price." 

"  Well,  you  behaved  like  a  brick,  anyhow,"  the  colonel 
said,  "  and  there  is  not  a  man  in  the  regiment  who  would  not 
have  been  proud  indeed  if  he  had  accomplished  such  a  feat. 
Half  my  subalterns  were  talking  at  dinner  last  night  of  learn- 
ing the  language,  so  that  if  the  chance  fell  in  their  way  they 
might  emulate  your  doings." 

"  It  is  rather  a  tough  language  to  master,"  Stanley  replied. 
"  It  gave  me  more  trouble  than  the  four  or  five  Indian  lan- 
guages I  speak.  I  am  afraid  the  campaign  will  be  over  a  long 
time  before  any  of  your  officers  learn  to  talk  Burmese  well 
enough  to  pass  as  natives." 

After  the  failure  of  the  expedition  of  the  ioth  no  further 
effort  had  been  made  against  the  enemy.  Indeed,  the  troops 
had  been  withdrawn  from  their  outlying  positions,  and  there 
had  even  been  a  feint  made  of  embarking  stores,  as  if  with  the 
intention  of  retiring  down  the  river,  in  hopes  of  tempting  the 
Burmese  to  make  an  attack. 

The  season  had  now  come  when  operations  could  again  be 


REJOINING  281 

carried  on,  and  the  general  was  anxious  to  strike  a  decisive 
blow  at  the  enemy,  and  then  to  set  forward  on  the  march 
towards  Ava.  As  to  the  result  of  the  fight,  no  one  entertained 
the  slightest  doubt,  although  the  disparity  in  numbers  was  very 
great,  for  while  the  Burmese  commander  had  nearly  70,000 
men  at  his  disposal,  Sir  Archibald  Campbell  had  no  more 
than  6,000,  of  whom  about  one-half  were  British.  It  was  de- 
termined that  the  main  attack  should  be  made  on  the  division 
of  Maha  Nemiow. 

This  was  now  some  six  or  seven  miles  away,  and  beyond 
the  fact  that  it  was  very  strongly  intrenched  in  the  jungle,  no 
information  whatever  could  be  gained  ;  for  the  most  vigilant 
watch  was  kept  up  by  them,  and  all  efforts  to  pass  native  spies 
into  their  lines  failed.  But  it  was  known  that  among  his 
division  were  8, 000  Shans  from  Upper  Burma  ;  and  as  these 
men  had  not  hitherto  come  in  contact  with  us,  it  was  ex- 
pected that  they  would  fight  with  more  courage  and  resolu- 
tion than  those  who  had  become  acquainted  with  our  power. 
A  large  number  of  princes  and  nobles  were  with  the  force ; 
and  great  reliance  was  placed  by  the  Burmese  upon  three 
young  ladies  of  high  rank  who  were  believed  by  them  to  be 
endowed  with  supernatural  gifts,  and  to  have  the  power  of 
rendering  the  missiles  of  the  English  innocuous.  These  young 
women,  dressed  in  warlike  costume,  constantly  rode  among 
the  troops,  animating  them  by  their  presence,  and  exhorting 
them  to  deeds  of  courage.  The  English  had  received  vague 
rumours  of  the  doings  of  these  Burmese  Joans  of  Arc,  and 
thought  it  probable  that  the  enemy  would  fight  better  than 
usual. 

On  November  30th  arrangements  were  made  for  attacking 
the  enemy  on  the  following  morning.  The  flotilla  were  to 
open  a  furious  cannonade  upon  their  works  on  both  sides  of 
the  river  ;  a  body  of  native  infantry  were  to  drive  in  the  ad- 


282  ON    THE    IRRAWADDY 

vance  posts  of  the  centre,  while  the  main  force  was  to  attack 
their  left  in  two  columns,  one  moving  directly  against  it, 
while  the  other  was  to  attack  on  the  right  flank,  thus  pre- 
venting the  enemy  from  retreating  in  the  direction  of  the  cen- 
tre.     Four  regiments  of  native  infantry  were  left  in  Prome. 

General  Cotton  commanded  the  main  attack,  and  soon 
after  the  column  moved  out  from  the  camp  a  tremendous  can- 
nonade showed  that  the  flotilla  was  engaged  with  the  Burmese 
on  both  sides  of  the  river.  The  column,  which  was  com- 
posed of  the  41st  and  89th  Regiments,  with  two  battalions  of 
native  infantry,  proceeded  some  distance  before  becoming  en- 
gaged with  the  enemy's  outposts,  as  the  Burmese  had  been 
deceived  by  the  cannonade  and  believed  that  the  attack  was 
entirely  upon  the  centre  ;  the  troops,  therefore,  reached  their 
main  position  around  two  native  villages  without  serious 
opposition.  As  they  issued  from  the  jungle  into  the  cleared 
space  in  front  of  the  stockade  they  rapidly  formed  up  under  a 
tremendous  fire  and  rushed  forward  to  the  attack.  The  old 
Burmese  general,  who  was  too  infirm  to  walk,  could  be  seen 
carried  from  point  to  point  in  a  litter  cheering  on  his 
men,  while  the  three  Amazons  exposed  themselves  fearlessly  to 
the  fire.  The  ladder  parties,  however,  rushed  forward  un- 
checked, and,  in  spite  of  the  opposition  of  the  enemy,  scaled 
the  stockade  at  one  point  and  won  a  footing  on  the  ram- 
part of  earth  behind  it. 

Others  pressed  after  them,  and  soon  a  destructive  fire  was 
opened  upon  the  crowded  mass  pent  up  between  the  outer 
stockade  and  the  next.  The  Burmese  method  of  forming 
stockade  behind  stockade  was  useful  against  a  foe  of  no 
greater  dash  and  energy  than  themselves,  but  was  absolutely 
fatal  when  opposed  to  English  troops,  who  gave  them  no  time 
to  fall  back  through  the  narrow  openings  in  the  palings. 
These   were   soon  blocked  by   the  dying  and  dead.     Some 


REJOINING  283 

of  the  Shans,  led  by  their  chiefs,  fought  with  desperate 
courage,  but  were  unable  to  stand  the  advance  of  the  British, 
whose  steady  volleys,  poured  in  at  distances  of  a  few* yards, 
swept  them  away.  Wounded  horses  rushing  wildly  about 
in  the  throng  added  to  the  terrible  confusion.  Groups  of 
men  endeavoured  to  cut  a  way  through  the  stockades  behind, 
others  strove  to  climb  over.  Maha  Nemiow  was  killed  while 
bravely  exhorting  his  men  to  stand  their  ground,  and  one  of 
the  heroic  Amazons  was  shot.  As  soon  as  the  troops  reached 
the  spot  where  she  fell  and  saw  that  she  was  a  woman,  she  was 
carried  into  a  cottage,  and  there  died  a  few  hours  afterwards. 
Stockade  after  stockade  was  carried  until  the  whole  position 
fell  into  our  hands.  In  the  meantime  the  other  column,  com- 
manded by  General  Campbell  himself,  and  consisting  of  the 
13th,  38th,  47th,  and  87th  Regiments  and  the  38th  Madras 
Infantry,  had  moved  down  on  the  other  side  of  the  Nawine 
river  and  taken  up  a  position  to  command  the  ford  there,  by 
which  the  fugitives  from  the  stockade  must  cross  on  their  way 
to  join  the  centre.  As  the  crowd  of  frightened  men  issued 
from  the  jungle  and  poured  across  the  ford,  the  artillery 
opened  upon  them  with  shrapnel  and  completed  their  dis- 
comfiture. All  thought  of  joining  the  centre  was  abandoned, 
and,  re-entering  the  jungle,  they  scattered,  and  the  greater 
portion  of  them  started  for  their  homes,  intent  only  on  avoid- 
ing another  contest  with  their  foes.  Another  of  the  Burmese 
heroines  was  killed  at  the  ford.  Three  hundred  men  had 
been  killed  at  the  storming  of  the  stockade,  but  a  far  greater 
loss  took  place  in  the  retreat,  very  few  of  the  Shans  ever 
•egaining  their  country,  the  greater  portion  perishing  from 
starvation  in  the  great  forests  through  which  they  travelled  in 
order  to  escape  the  Burmese  authorities,  who  would  have 
forced  them  to  rejoin  the  army. 


284  ON    THE    IRRAWADDY 

CHAPTER  XVII 

THE    PRIDE    OF    BURMA    HUMBLED 

AS  soon  as  the  victory  was  completed  the  troops  piled  arms, 
and  were  allowed  two  hours'  rest.  Then  they  marched 
back  to  the  point  where  General  Campbell's  division  had 
forded  the  Nawine  river  in  the  morning.  From  this  point  a 
path  led  towards  the  enemy's  centre  ;  this  it  was  determined 
to  attack  at  daybreak  on  the  following  morning  before  the 
news  of  the  defeat  of  its  left  could  reach  it.  The  day  had 
been  a  long  and  fatiguing  one,  and  it  was  late  before  the 
troops  all  reached  their  halting-place.  A  meal  was  served  out, 
and  then  all  lay  down  to  rest.  A  messenger  was  sent  to 
Prome  to  announce  the  success  that  had  been  gained,  and 
to  request  the  commander  of  the  flotilla  to  open  fire  in 
the  morning  as  soon  as  the  foe  was  seen  to  issue  from  the 
jungle  in  front  of  the  Wongee's  main  position  at  Napadee. 

Long  before  daylight  the  troops  were  in  motion.  General 
Campbell's  division  led  the  way  along  the  narrow  track  lead- 
ing towards  the  river,  while  General  Cotton,  who  followed, 
was  ordered  to  break  off  at  any  path  which  led  towards  the 
Burmese  division,  to  make  his  way  through  the  forest,  and  to 
attack  the  stockades  directly  he  reached  them.  The  main 
division  would  attack  as  soon  as  they  heard  his  guns. 

After  a  two  hours'  march  the  first  division  came  out  on 
open  ground  by  the  river  side,  signalled  their  arrival  to  the 
flotilla,  and  formed  up  in  front  of  the  stockaded  heights  of 
Napadee.  The  position  was  an  extremely  strong  one.  The 
enemy  occupied  three  ranges  of  hills  rising  one  behind  the 
other,  and  each  commanding  the  one  in  front  of  it.  One 
flank  of  these  hills  was  protected  by  the  river,  the  other  by 


THE    PRIDE    OF    BURMA    HUMBLED  285 

the  almost  impenetrable  forest.  The  hills  were  all  covered 
with  stockades  ;  and  as  they  moved  forward,  the  troops  were 
exposed  to  so  heavy  a  fire  from  an  enemy  entrenched  at  the 
edge  of  the  jungle  on  the  right,  that  before  they  could 
advance  further,  it  was  necessary  to  first  drive  them  from  this 
position.  Six  companies  of  the  87th  were  sent  back  into  the 
forest,  and  making  their  way  through  this,  came  down  in  the 
rear  of  the  stockades,  speedily  cleared  them  of  their  defenders, 
and  compelled  the  advance  force  of  the  enemy  to  join  their 
main  body. 

The  troops  then  moved  forward  to  the  foot  of  the  first  hill, 
where  two  strong  redoubts  had  been  erected  by  the  enemy. 
The  fleet  opened  fire,  but  the  column  was  halted  for  a  time 
awaiting  the  sound  of  firing  that  should  tell  them  General 
Cotton's  column  was  engaged.  No  sound,  however,  was  heard, 
for  this  force  had  been  unable  to  make  its  way  through  the 
dense  forest,  and  General.  Campbell  at  last  gave  the  order  for 
the  attack.  It  was  commenced  by  the  47th  and  38th  Native 
Infantry  under  Colonel  Elvington,  who  pushed  through  the 
jungle  and  forest  until  they  reached  some  of  the  flanking  out- 
works on  the  hill.  These  they  attacked  with  such  dash  and 
determination  that  they  speedily  obtained  possession  of  them, 
and  thus  produced  a  favourable  diversion  for  the  main  attack. 
This,  consisting  of  the  13th,  38th,  and  87th  Regiments,  ad- 
vanced steadily  without  returning  a  shot  to  the  incessant  fire 
from  the  enemy's  various  entrenchments,  captured  the  two 
redoubts  at  the  bottom  of  the  hill,  and  then  pressed  upwards, 
carrying  position  after  position  at  the  point  of  the  bayonet, 
till  they  arrived  at  the  summit  of  the  first  hill. 

The  Burmese  fugitives,  as  they  fled  to  the  next  line  of  de- 
fence, shook  the  courage  of  the  troops  there,  and  the  British 
pushing  forward  hotly  on  the  rear  of  the  flying  crowd,  carried 
work  after  work,  until  in  the  course  of  an  hour  the  whole 


286  ON    THE    IRRAWADDY 

position,  nearly  three  miles  in  extent,  was  entirely  in  their 
possession.  Between  forty  and  fifty  guns  were  captured,  and 
the  enemy's  loss  in  killed  and  wounded  was  very  great,  while 
by  desertion  alone  the  Wongee  lost  a  third  of  his  army. 
While  the  attack  had  been  going  on,  the  flotilla  had  passed  the 
works  protecting  the  river  face  of  the  hills,  and  had  captured 
all  the  boats  and  stores  filled  with  supplies  for  the  use  of  the 
Burmese  army. 

Thus  two  of  the  three  Burmese  divisions  had  now  been 
completely  routed,  and  there  remained  only  that  of  Sudda 
Woon  on  the  other  side  of  the  river..  The  troops  were  al- 
lowed two  days'  rest,  and  on  the  morning  of  the  5th  a  force 
advanced  on  board  the  flotilla.  Their  passage  across  the 
river  was  covered  by  the  fire  of  a  rocket-brigade  and  a  mor- 
tar-battery, which  had  on  the  previous  night  been  established 
on  an  island,  and  they  landed  at  some  distance  above  the 
enemy's  stockades.  They  then  marched  round  and  attacked 
these  in  flank  and  rear,  while  the  batteries  and  boats  of  the 
flotilla  cannonaded  them  in  front. 

The  enemy's  troops  were  already  disheartened  by  the  defeat 
they  had  seen  inflicted  upon  the  Wongee's  army,  and  after  a 
feeble  resistance  fled  to  a  second  line  of  stockades  in  the  jun- 
gle to  their  rear.  The  troops,  however,  pressed  so  hotly 
upon  them  that  they  were  unable  to  make  any  effectual 
opposition  here.  Numbers  fell  while  endeavouring  to  pass 
through  the  narrow  entrances  of  the  work,  and  the  rest  fled  in 
terror  into  the  woods. 

These  extensive  operations  had  been  carried  out  with  the 
loss  of  six  officers  and  some  seventy  or  eighty  men  only. 

It  was  known  that  the  enemy  had  very  strongly  fortified 
several  positions  in  and  around  Meaday,  and  it  was  deter- 
mined to  push  forward  at  once  on  the  long  march  of  three 
hundred  miles  to  Ava,  before  the  enemy  could  rally  from  their 


THE    PRIDE    OF    BURMA    HUMBLED  287 

defeat  and  gather  for  the  defence  of  these  positions.  On  the 
9th  the  first  division,  under  General  Campbell  himself,  started 
from  Prome.  The  roads  were  extremely  bad,  and  they  were 
able  to  move  but  slowly.  Their  course  was  first  directed 
inland,  as  it  was  intended  to  turn  the  enemy's  position  at 
Meaday,  by  following  a  road  several  miles  from  the  river  and 
thus  forcing  them  to  fall  back  as  we  advanced.  On  the  next 
da)-  the  force  reached  the  spot  where  Colonel  M'Dowall  had 
been  killed  in  the  unsuccessful  attack  upon  Maha  Nemiow,  and 
it  then  turned  north  and  followed  the  road  parallel  to  the 
liver. 

On  the  12th  tremendous  rains  for  some  hours  converted  the 
road  into  a  morass,  and  although  the  march  was  but  five  miles 
long,  the  greater  portion  of  the  column  failed  to  reach  its 
destination.  This,  however,  was  not  the  worst.  Cholera 
broke  out  at  once,  and  carried  off  a  large  number  of  victims 
— two  of  the  British  regiments  being  rendered  almost  unfit  for 
service  by  its  ravages.  On  the  14th  the  division  encamped 
on  dry  ground,  on  a  ridge  of  wooded  hills,  and  waited  for  a 
couple  of  days  to  allow  the  baggage  train  to  come  up.  The 
change  greatly  benefited  the  health  of  the  troops,  and  amuse- 
ment was  afforded  by  the  partridges,  jungle-fowl,  and  deer 
which  abounded  in  the  neighbourhood  of  the  camp.  Up  to 
this  point  no  single  native  had  been  seen,  the  villages  were  all 
destroyed,  and  the  country  was  completely  deserted.  On  the 
1 6th  a  strong  Burmese  fortification  was  taken,  it  being  unoc- 
cupied save  by  a  small  picket,  which  retired  on  our  advance. 
This  had  evidently  been  erected  for  the  purpose  of  preventing 
the  river  fortifications  from  being  turned,  and  its  abandonment 
proved  that  the  object  of  the  land  march  had  been  gained, 
and  that  the  enemy  had  abandoned  the  positions  they  had 
with  so  much  care  prepared  for  the  defence  of  the  river. 

On  the  1 8th  they  joined  General  Cotton's  column,  and  th*> 


288  ON    THE    1RRAWADDY 

next  day  entered  Meaday.  Here  a  terrible  spectacle  was  met 
with.  The  town  and  the  ground  within  the  stockades  was 
strewn  with  dead  and  dying,  some  from  wounds,  others  from 
cholera — for  the  ravages  of  this  plague  had  been  as  great  among 
the  Burmese  as  in  the  British  force.  A  number  of  men  were 
found  crucified  on  gibbets,  doubtless  as  a  punishment  for 
attempting  to  desert.  The  air  was  pestilent,  and  the  force 
was  glad  indeed  to  march  on  the  next  morning  from  the 
locality.  They  gained  something,  but  not  much,  from  the 
change.  For  the  next  fifty  miles  dead  bodies  were  met  with 
at  very  short  intervals,  and  each  day  before  camping  many 
corpses  had  to  be  removed  before  the  tents  could  be  fixed.  It 
was  now  known  that  the  Burmese  army,  in  its  retreat,  had 
been  concentrated  at  Melloon,  where  the  reserve  of  10,000 
men  had  been  posted.  On  the  27th  the  division  encamped 
within  four  miles  of  that  town.  They  had  now  marched  a 
hundred  and  forty  miles  from  Prome  without  meeting  a  single 
inhabitant  of  the  country  or  being  enabled  to  obtain  any 
cattle  whatever  for  the  supply  of  the  troops,  so  effectually  had 
the  enemy  wasted  the  country  as  they  retired. 

Melloon  stood  on  the  opposite  bank  of  the  Irrawaddy, 
and  letters  had  arrived  from  that  town,  saying  that  a  com- 
missioner had  arrived  from  Ava  with  full  powers  from  the 
king  to  conclude  a  treaty  of  peace.  Colonel  Adair  and 
Stanley  accordingly  were  sent  off  the  next  morning  to 
Melloon  to  arrange  for  an  immediate  meeting  for  the  com- 
missioners. However,  they  could  come  to  no  arrangement, 
the  Burmese  leaders  insisting  that  so  important  a  business 
could  only  be  carried  on  when  a  favourable  day  arrived, 
and  that  no  time  could  at  present  be  stated.  Seeing  that 
the  principal  object  of  the  Burmese  was  to  gain  time,  the 
colonel  informed  them,  through  Stanley,  that  as  no  arrange- 
ments had  been  made,  the  troops  would  recommence  their 


THE    PRIDE    OF    BURMA    HUMBLED  289 

advance  as  soon  as  he  returned  to  the  camp,  and  accordingly 
the  next  morning  the  division  moved  forward  to  a  town  im- 
mediately opposite  Melloon.  That  place  stood  on  the  face  of 
a  sloping  hill,  and  as  the  Irrawaddy  was  here  but  600  yards 
broad,  a  good  view  was  obtained  of  the  fortifications.  The 
principal  stockade  was  in  the  form  of  a  square,  about  a  mile 
on  each  face,  mounting  a  considerable  number  of  guns,  espe- 
cially on  the  side  facing  the  river,  and  a  succession  of  stock- 
ades extended  for  a  mile  farther  along  the  banks.  The  great 
work  was  crowded  with  men. 

In  front  of  the  town  lay  a  large  fleet  of  war-boats,  and 
larger  craft  with  stores.  A  short  time  after  the  troops 
reached  the  spot,  a  great  noise  of  gongs,  drums,  and  other 
warlike  instruments  arose  on  the  other  side,  and  crowds  of 
boatmen  were  seen  running  down  to  the  vessels.  These 
were  soon  manned,  and  oars  got  out,  and  they  began  to 
row  up  the  river.  As,  owing  to  the  intricacy  of  the  channel, 
the  steamboat  and  flotilla  had  not  yet  arrived,  a  few  shots 
were  fired  at  the  boats  by  the  field-guns.  This  had  the 
desired  effect,  many  of  the  boatmen  jumping  overboard, 
leaving  their  craft  to  drift  down  the  river,  while  the  great 
bulk  hastily  turned  their  vessels  about,  and  anchored  in 
their  former  position.  As  soon  as  the  steamer  with  the 
flotilla  came  up,  two  war-boats  pushed  off  from  shore,  saluted 
the  steamer,  and  rowed  alongside  of  her,  until  she  and  the 
flotilla  were  safely  anchored  above  the  town.  This  was  so 
evidently  a  mark  of  a  real  desire  for  the  suspension  of  hostil- 
ities that  the  two  officers  were  again  sent  across  the  river. 
A  truce  was  agreed  upon,  and  an  arrangement  made  for  the 
meeting  of  the  negotiators  upon  the  following  day. 

Four  meetings  were  held   between  the  two  commissioners 
and   those    appointed    by   the  British  general,    the  meetings 
taking   place  on   boats   moored   in   the   centre   of  the  river. 
19 


200  ON    THE    IRRAWADDY 

At  length  the  treaty  was  accepted  and  signed  by  the  Bur- 
mese, and  fifteen  days'  truce  allowed  for  the  ratification  of 
the  treaty  by  the  king.  As  the  end  of  that  period  ap- 
proached, the  Burmese  protested  that  they  had  not  yet  re- 
ceived an  answer,  and  asked  for  further  time,  which  was 
refused,  unless  on  the  condition  that  Melloon  was  evacuated, 
and  the  Burmese  army  fell  back  until  the  ratification  of  the 
treaty  reached  them.  As  had  been  for  some  time  strongly 
suspected,  the  negotiations  were  simply  a  device  to  arrest  our 
advance,  and  the  treaty  was  afterwards  found  in  the  Burmese 
camp,  it  never  having  been  forwarded  to  Ava.  At  midnight, 
on  the  1 8th,  when  the  armistice  came  to  a  conclusion,  the 
troops  began  throwing  up  earthworks,  the  heavy  guns  were 
landed  from  the  flotilla,  and  at  ten  o'clock  the  next  morning 
twenty-eight  guns  were  in  position  ready  to  open  fire. 

In  spite  of  remonstrances  that  had  been  made,  the  Bur- 
mese had,  night  after  night  during  the  armistice,  continued 
to  work  surreptitiously  at  their  entrenchments.  It  was  hoped 
for  a  moment  that  when  they  saw  the  speed  with  which  our 
batteries  had  been  thrown  up  and  armed  they  would  offer  no 
farther  resistance.  As,  however,  they  were  evidently  pre- 
paring for  action  our  guns  opened  fire  at  eleven  o'clock. 
This  was  kept  up  for  two  hours.  While  it  was  going  on, 
the  troops  intended  for  the  assault  were  embarked  in  boats 
some  distance  up  the  river  so  as  to  ensure  their  not  being 
carried  by  the  force  of  the  stream  across  the  face  of  the  Bur- 
mese works  and  exposed  to  the  concentrated  fire  of  the  enemy. 
They  were  divided  into  four  brigades,  the  first  of  which,  con- 
sisting of  the  13th  and  38th  Regiments  under  Lieutenant- 
colonel  Sale,  were  to  land  below  the  stockade,  and  to  attack 
its  south-western  angle,  while  the  other  three  brigades  were  to 
land  above  it,  to  carry  some  outworks  there,  and  to  attack 
the  northern  face. 


THE    PRIDE    OF    BURMA    HUMBLED  291 

A  strong  northerly  wind  and  the  violent  current  prevented 
the  assaults  being  made  simultaneously.  The  first  brigade 
was  carried  too  far  across,  and  as  it  passed  the  stockade  was 
exposed  to  the  fire  of  the  guns  and  musketry  of  the  river 
defences,  while  the  three  other  brigades  were  unable  for 
some  time  to  reach  their  intended  landing-places.  Colonel 
Sale  was  among  those  wounded  by  the  Burmese  fire,  but 
directly  the  first  brigade  reached  the  shore  they  formed  up 
under  the  partial  cover  of  a  shelving  bank,  and,  led  by 
Lieutenant-colonel  Frith,  moved  forward  to  the  assault  in 
admirable  order.  When  within  a  short  distance,  there  was 
a  forward  rush,  in  spite  of  the  storm  of  shot,  the  ladder -party 
gained  the  foot  of  the  stockade,  and  placing  the  ladders, 
climbed  up,  and  leapt  down  among  the  surging  crowd  of 
the  enemy.  Others  followed,  and  soon  a  firm  footing  was 
obtained  in  the  works.  Then  the  men  of  the  two  regiments, 
whose  total  strength  did  not  exceed  five  hundred,  advanced 
steadily,  drove  before  them  some  10,000  armed  men,  and 
expelled  them  from  the  works  that  the  Burmese  had  deemed 
impregnable. 

While  this  was  going  on  the  other  three  brigades  had 
landed  above  the  stockade,  and  now  falling  upon  the  enemy 
as  they  poured  out  from  their  works,  completed  their  defeat. 
All  the  stockades  were  carried,  and  the  whole  of  the  artillery 
and  stores  fell  into  our  possession. 

Four  days  later  the  army  again  began  its  advance.  They 
were  met  by  four  Englishmen  who  had  been  taken  prisoners, 
and  an  American,  who  had  also  been  held  in  confinement. 
These  had  been  sent  to  assure  the  English  general  that  the 
king  was  in  earnest  in  his  desire  for  peace.  It  was  but 
too  evident,  however,  that  no  confidence  could  be  placed 
in  Burmese  negotiations,  and  it  was,  moreover,  known  that 
another  army  was  being  assembled  in   the  greatest  haste  to 


292  ON    THE    IRRAWADDV 

bar  the  advance.  On  the  14th  of  February  the  British  reached 
Pakang-Yay,  having  passed  Sembeughewn  on  the  opposite 
shore.  This  was  the  point  where  the  road  from  Aracan 
reached  the  Irrawaddy,  and  it  had  been  arranged  that  the 
force  that  had  been  operating  in  Aracan  should,  if  possible, 
effect  a  junction  with  Sir  Archibald  Campbell  here. 

A  message  brought  down  by  a  native  was,  however,  re- 
ceived, stating  that  the  force  had  suffered  very  severely  from 
fever  and  cholera,  and  that  the  natural  obstacles  were  found 
to  be  too  great  to  be  overcome  by  troops  debilitated  by 
disease,  that  the  attempt  had  therefore  been  abandoned. 
Fortunately  the  English  general  was  well  able  to  do  without 
this  addition  to  his  strength.  He  had  already  proved  that 
his  command  was  perfectly  capable  of  defeating  any  Burmese 
force  that  could  be  brought  against  him,  and  an  addition 
would  only  have  increased  the  difficulty  of  transport.  On 
the  9th  of  March  the  British  force,  which,  owing  to  the 
necessity  for  leaving  strong  bodies  to  hold  Melloon  and 
other  points  that  had  been  captured,  now  mustered  less  than 
2,000  fighting  men,  advanced  to  attack  the  enemy,  whose 
numbers  were  estimated  at  16,000.  The  new  commander  of 
the  Burmese  adopted  other  tactics  than  his  predecessors.  His 
stockaded  position  was  in  front  of  the  town  of  Pagahn,  but 
he  occupied  the  jungle  in  great  force  and  attacked  our  advance 
guard  five  miles  from  the  town. 

As  the  enemy  occupied  the  hills  on  both  sides  of  the  main 
road,  Sir  A.  Campbell  divided  his  force  and  led  half  of  it 
through  the  jungle  on  the  right,  while  General  Cotton  led  the 
other  half  through  the  woods  on  the  left.  The  Burmese 
fought  with  considerable  obstinacy.  General  Campbell  and 
his  staff,  with  thirty-eight  troopers  and  fifty  men  of  the  13th, 
were  somewhat  in  advance  of  the  column,  when  the  enemy 
closed  in  on  both  flanks  and  even  got  in  their  rear.     These 


THE    PRIDE    OF    BURMA    HUMBLED  293 

■were,  however,  dispersed  by  the  rest  of  the  13th,  and,  driv- 
ing back  the  Burmese  on  the  flanks,  the  advance  was  con- 
tinued. Presently,  however,  as  the  British  issued  from  the 
jungle,  a  mass  of  the  enemy's  horse  charged  down,  drove  back 
the  skirmishers,  and  for  a  time  the  position  of  the  general  and 
his  staff  was  one  of  great  peril. 

His  little  body  of  troopers,  however,  dashed  boldly  at  the 
assailants  and  held  them  in  check  until  the  guns  that  had  fol- 
lowed the  staff  were  brought  forward  from  the  jungle ;  then 
the  troopers  divided  and  rode  right  and  left,  and  the  guns, 
opening  fire,  checked  the  assailants  until  the  infantry  came 
up.  The  Burmese  army  was  now  seen  drawn  up  in  the  form 
of  a  semicircle  in  the  open.  The  two  British  columns  were 
united  and  together  moved  forward  to  attack  the  centre  of 
the  crescent,  disregarding  the  fire  from  its  wings.  When 
within  charging  distance,  they  went  forward  with  a  rush,  and, 
cheering  lustily,  fell  upon  the  Burmese,  and  broke  their  cen- 
tre, thus  isolating  the  two  wings.  The  Burmese  at  once  re- 
treated with  the  greatest  haste  to  the  stockaded  position  in 
their  rear.  As  usual  the  narrow  entrances  to  the  stockades 
caused  great  delay,  and  the  British  were  upon  them  before 
they  were  in  any  way  prepared  to  resist  the  assault.  Herald- 
ing their  advance  by  sweeping  volleys  they  fell  upon  the  Bur- 
mese with  the  bayonet  and  drove  them  out  of  their  works. 
The  enemy  made  an  attempt  to  rally  behind  the  walls  and  in 
the  pagodas  of  the  town,  but  the  effort  was  vain ;  they  were 
driven  out  with  great  slaughter,  hundreds  were  drowned  in 
endeavouring  to  swim  the  river,  and  the  army  was  finally  dis- 
persed in  all  directions. 

The  effect  of  this  victory  was  at  once  apparent.  The 
country  people  who  had,  on  the  advance  of  the  British  force 
from  Prome,  been  cleared  out  from  the  villages  along  the 
whole  line  of  route,  being  now  freed  from  the  restraint  of 


294  ON    THE    IRRAWADDY 

their  troops,  came  flocking  back  in  great  numbers,  some  by 
the  roads  and  some  in  boats ;  and  it  was  evident  that  they  re- 
garded the  struggle  as  definitely  terminated.  There  was,  in- 
deed, no  possibility  of  further  resistance,  as  the  armies  of 
Burma,  raised  with  immense  difficulty  and  by  heavy  bounties 
and  the  promises  of  great  reward,  were  hopelessly  scattered, 
and  Ava  lay  open  to  the  British  advance.  In  other  directions 
their  position  was  equally  desperate.  Aracan  had  been 
wholly  rescued  from  their  grasp.  A  British  force  in  Pegu 
had  marched  up  the  river  Sitang,  and  after  the  repulse  of  a 
party  of  a  hundred  and  fifty  men  imprudently  sent  to  attack 
Sitang  itself,  captured  the  place  after  a  sharp  fight,  and,  re- 
ceiving reinforcements  from  Rangoon,  continued  their  way 
up  the  river  and  captured  Toungoo  ;  while  the  northern  force 
had  driven  the  Burmese  out  of  Manipur,  and  had  reached 
the  river  Ningti  by  the  2d  of  February,  and  were  in  a  posi- 
tion to  advance  direct  upon  Ava. 

After  a  halt  of  two  days,  General  Campbell  advanced  on 
the  12th  of  February;  Mr.  Price,  the  American  who  had 
been  sent  down  after  the  capture  of  Melloon,  went  forward  to 
Ava  with  the  treaty  that  had  been  drawn  up  before  the  capt- 
ure of  that  place;  and  the  king  had  no  longer  any  hesita- 
tion in  complying  with  its  terms,  and  was,  indeed,  delighted 
to  find  that  the  recent  victory  of  the  invaders  had  not  in- 
creased their  demands.  He  at  once  sent  down  to  accept 
them,  but  as  no  official  ratification  was  sent,  the  march  con- 
tinued, while  Mr.  Price  again  returned  to  Ava.  When  the 
force  was  within  four  days'  march  of  the  capital  the  latter 
returned  with  the  Burmese  commissioners  and  other  high 
functionaries  with  the  ratified  treaty,  and  the  first  instalment 
of  the  money  that  was  to  be  paid. 

It  was  a  disappointment  to  the  army  that  after  their  long 
march  and  many  sufferings  they  were  not  to  be  allowed   to 


THE    PRIDE    OF    BURMA    HUMBLED  295 

enter  the  enemy's  capital  in  triumph.  Undoubtedly,  how- 
ever, the  course  taken  was  the  wisest.  Ava  was  regarded  as  a 
sacred  city,  and  it  was  to  save  it  from  the  humiliation  of 
being  occupied  by  the  invaders  that  the  king  had  brought 
himself  to  accept  the  terms  of  the  treaty.  Had  the  English 
general  insisted  upon  entering  the  capital  and  signing  the 
treaty  there,  he  would  have  found  no  one  to  meet  him,  the 
population  would  have  been  driven  out,  the  king  and  court 
would  have  retired  farther  up  the  country,  and  the  war  might 
have  continued  for  an  indefinite  time. 

Already  its  cost  had  been  enormous,  exceeding  ^5,000,000 
sterling.  During  the  first  eleven  months  after  landing  at 
Rangoon,  nearly  half  of  the  Europeans  died,  and  from  the 
time  they  advanced  from  that  town  with  fresh  reinforce- 
ments from  India,  to  the  arrival  near  Ava,  a  similarly  heavy 
loss  was  sustained.  Four  per  cent,  of  the  number  engaged 
was  killed  in  action.  The  climate  of  Aracan  was  still  more 
deadly,  as  three-fourths  of  the  white  troops  employed  there 
died,  and  very  few  of  the  survivors  were  ever  fit  for  service 
afterwards.  The  sepoys  suffered  less  in  Aracan,  losing  only 
ten  per  cent,  of  their  number,  though  nearly  half  the  force 
were  in  hospital  for  some  time. 

According  to  agreement,  the  Burmese,  as  soon  as  peace  was 
concluded,  sent  down  a  large  number  of  boats  for  the  convey- 
ance of  the  troops  down  the  river.  As  they  descended  it,  the 
garrisons  left  at  Melloon  and  other  places  were  withdrawn. 
One  of  the  native  regiments  with  some  elephants  and  guns  left 
the  force  at  Sembeughewn,  and  marched  thence  to  Aracan,  for 
the  purpose  of  investigating  the  country  and  proving  whether 
it  was  practicable  for  the  passage  of  troops  in  case  another 
advance  upon  Ava  should  ever  be  necessary.  They  found  the 
road  unexpectedly  good,  and  met  with  no  resistance  whatever, 
except  in  the  passage  of  some  passes  over  the  mountains. 


29G  ON    THE    IRRAWADDY 

At  Melloon,  Stanley  was  very  glad  to  meet  his  cousin  again, 
for  the  47th  had  been  left  in  garrison  there.  Harry  had  been 
down  again  with  a  sharp  attack  of  fever,  but  was  now  recov- 
ering. 

'•  So  it  is  all  over,  Stanley,  and  your  chances  of  an  earldom 
have  nearly  slipped  through  your  fingers." 

"  I  am  glad,  indeed,  that  it  is  so,"  Stanley  laughed,  "  in 
the  first  place,  because  I  could  only  have  succeeded  to  it  at 
your  death ;  and  in  the  second  place,  because  I  have  no 
ambition  whatever  for  a  title.  I  am  not  nineteen  yet,  and  should 
greatly  prefer  to  make  my  own  way,  than  to  find  myself  with 
nothing  whatever  to  do,  except  to  spend  money  as  it  dropped 
into  my  lap.  Now  that  everything  is  settled,  and  that  Aracan 
has  become  English,  and  we  have  the  seaports  on  the  Tenas- 
serim  coast,  trade  will  increase  tremendously.  You  may  be 
sure  that  the  Burmese  will  be  only  too  glad  to  flock  into  our 
provinces,  and  to  live  under  a  fair  rule,  to  escape  the  tyranny 
of  their  own  officials,  and  my  uncle  is  just  the  man  to  take 
advantage  of  the  new  openings.  I  don't  say  that  I  want  to 
live  out  here  all  my  life.  At  any  rate  I  hope  by  the  time  that 
I  am  thirty  to  be  able  to  come  home  for  a  year's  holiday,  and 
it  is  just  possible  that  by  then  we  may  have  grown  into  such  a 
big  firm  that  we  may  establish  headquarters  in  London,  instead 
of  getting  all  our  goods  from  Calcutta. 

"  There  is  certain  to  be  a  very  big  trade  here  in  teak  alone. 
The  price  in  Pegue  is  a  great  deal  below  that  in  India,  and  if 
we  had  a  house  in  London,  we  should  avoid  having  to  pay 
commissions,  and  perhaps  get  better  prices  for  our  wood.  Of 
course,  my  uncle  may  by  that  time  think  of  retiring  himself, 
and  in  that  case  I  might  have  to  stay  somewhat  longer  out  here, 
but  I  know  that  he  likes  the  climate,  and  I  have  heard  him  say 
that,  as  he  has  very  few  acquaintances  in  England,  he  thinks 
that  he  should  prefer  a  life  in  Calcutta  to  one  in  London." 


THE    PRIDE    OF    BURMA    HUMBLED  297 

"  I  should  not  wonder  if  I  go  home  very  shortly,"  Harry 
said  ;  "  my  last  letter  told  me  that  my  uncle  was  in  failing 
health,  and  that  he  would  like  to  have  me  at  home  with  him. 
If  the  next  letter  confirms  that,  I  am  afraid  I  shall  have 
either  to  resign  my  commission  or  exchange  into  a  regi- 
ment at  home.  Of  course,  at  his  death  I  should  have  to  leave 
the  army  anyhow.  It  would  be  ridiculous  for  a  subaltern  to 
be  an  earl ;  besides,  there  are  things  one  would  have  to  do. 
I  suppose  there  are  estates  to  be  looked  after,  and  all  sorts  of 
nuisances.  Anyhow  I  shall  always  be  glad  I  have  had  my 
share  in  this  expedition  ;  I  have  learned  what  campaigning  is, 
and  I  must  say  that  under  such  circumstances  as  we  have 
gone  through,  it  is  not  quite  so  pleasurable  as  I  had  expected. 
Half  one's  friends  are  dead  or  invalided  home,  and  one 
never  knows  when  one  wakes  in  the  morning  whether  one 
may  not  be  down  with  cholera  before  night.  The  fighting 
is  all  well  enough,  but,  after  all,  that  takes  up  but  a  very 
small  portion  of  one's  time,  and  marching,  and  I  may  say, 
living  generally  in  this  hot,  sweltering  climate,  with  its 
six  months  of  rain,  is  not  enviable  work.  However,  I 
have  gone  through  one  regular  campaign,  and  that  as  severe 
a  one  as  British  troops  have  ever  performed,  and,  above  all, 
old  man.  I  have  met  you,  and  we  have  come  to  be  great 
friends,  and  I  have  learned  what  one  fellow  will  do  for  an- 
other." 

"  I  am  sure  I  am  very  glad  to  have  gone  through  it,  too. 
I  have  been  fortunate  indeed  in  never  having  been  laid  up  for 
a  single  day,  and  there  is  no  doubt  that  having  served  on  the 
staff  will  be  of  great  advantage  to  me  even  as  a  trader.  I  own 
that  I  should  like  to  have  retired  a  captain.  Of  course,  pro- 
motion has  been  tremendously  fast  owing  to  the  death  vacan- 
cies, but  I  have  still  two  lieutenants  over  me." 

"  You  are  sure  to  get  the  step,  Stanley.     You  have  been  in 


298  ON    THE    IRRAWADDY 

general  orders  twice,  besides  that  notice  you  got  for  my  res- 
cue ;  also.,  the  doctors  say  that  a  number  of  the  men  who 
have  been  sent  down  to  the  coast  are  not  likely  to  live  many 
weeks,  and  as  five  of  your  seniors  have  been  invalided,  you 
may  get  your  step,  in  the  natural  course  of  things,  at  any  mo- 
ment. If  I  were  you  I  should  ask  for  three  months'  leave 
before  rejoining  your  regiment.  There  will  be  no  difficulty 
about  that  after  you  have  been  upwards  of  two  years  in  con- 
stant work,  and  the  general  will  certainly  not  refuse.  Before 
the  end  of  that  time  you  will  have  seen  your  uncle  and  talked 
matters  over.  Then,  if  you  choose  to  resign  your  commission, 
you  can,  of  course,  do  so ;  but  as  you  are  pretty  sure  to  get 
your  step  by  death  before  the  end  of  the  three  months,  and  as 
the  general's  despatches  strongly  recommend  your  services, 
you  may  get  your  brevet  majority  before  your  resignation 
reaches  England.  A  man  who  has  been  mentioned  two  or 
three  times  in  despatches,  and  is  specially  recommended  for 
honours,  is  sure  to  get  his  brevet  majority  directly  he  gets  his 
company." 

On  reaching  Rangoon,  Stanley  learned  that  two  of  the 
invalids  had  died  either  on  the  way  down  or  before  they  could 
be  put  on  board  a  ship,  and  that  one  of  the  majors,  who  had 
been  sent  to  India  for  change  four  months  before,  had  also 
succumbed,  so  that  he  had  already  obtained  his  company — a 
promotion  which  would  have  been  at  any  other  time  extraor- 
dinary, but  which  in  a  campaign  where  half  those  engaged 
were  carried  off  was  nothing  remarkable.  Being  still  on  the 
headquarter  staff,  he  embarked  with  Sir  Archibald  Campbell. 

"You  still  hold  firm  to  your  determination  to  leave  the 
service,  Captain  Brooke,"  the  general  said,  in  the  course  of 
the  passage  to  Calcutta. 

"  Yes,  sir  ;  I  am  sure  that  it  is  best  for  me." 

"I  think  it  is,  Brooke.     Of  course,  you  have  been  excep- 


THE    PRIDE    OF    BURMA    HUMBLED  299 

tionally  fortunate  in  getting  such  rapid  promotion.  Still,  a 
good  business  is  a  great  deal  better  than  soldiering.  I  wrote 
very  strongly  in  your  favour  when  I  sent  off  my  despatches 
the  day  we  came  down  to  the  coast,  and  you  are  certain  of 
your  brevet.  Still,  it  is  just  as  well  that  the  news  of  your 
resignation  should  not  get  home  before  the  Gazette  comes  out 
with  your  name  in  it.  I  think  the  best  thing  that  I  can  do  is 
to  give  you  leave  for  a  time  as  soon  as  we  get  to  Calcutta.  I 
am  sure  that  you  deserve  a  rest,  for  your  work  has  been  terri- 
bly heavy." 

'•'  Thank  you,  sir  ;  that  was  just  the  favour  that  I  was  going 
to  ask  you.  I  shall  find  out  as  soon  as  I  get  there  where  my 
uncle  is,  and  join  him.  My  own  mind  is  quite  made  up,  but 
he  has  certainly  a  right  to  be  consulted  before  I  take  any 
final  step. ' ' 

"  Quite  right.  I  feel  no  doubt  that  his  opinion  will  agree 
with  yours,  and  I  think  that  you  are  showing  a  good  deal 
more  wisdom  than  most  fellows  would  do,  to  give  up  the  ser- 
vice when  you  have  distinguished  yourself  and  have  a  much 
better  chance  than  falls  to  the  lot  of  one  man  in  a  hundred. 
Still,  there  can  be  no  real  doubt  that  a  man  in  a  good  busi- 
ness out  here  can  retire  early  and  go  home  with  a  fortune, 
while  in  the  army  you  are  liable  at  any  time,  after  you  get  to 
the  rank  of  colonel,  to  be  laid  on  the  shelf  for  years.  Be- 
sides, you  will  be  your  own  master,  which  is  more  than  any- 
one in  the  army  can  say.  You  can  go  home  when  you  like 
either  for  a  stay  or  for  a  permanency,  and  you  are  not  liable 
to  have  to  run  the  risk  of  another  campaign  such  as  this  has 
been . ' ' 

"  If  one  was  sure  of  campaigns,  I  don't  think  that  I  could 
possibly  bring  myself  to  leave  the  service,  but  it  is  the  prob- 
ability of  being  kept  for  three  or  four  years  at  a  time,  doing 
nothing,  at  Calcutta  or  Madras  that  decided  me." 


300  ON    THE    1RRAWADDY 

The  general  nodded.  "  You  are  quite  right,  Brooke;  on 
active  service  a  soldier's  life  is,  indeed,  a  stirring  one,  but 
there  is  nothing  more  dull  and  monotonous  than  garrison  life 
in  peace  time." 

Accordingly  as  soon  as  they  landed  in  Calcutta,  Stanley 
was  put  in  orders  for  absence  on  leave  for  three  months.  He 
learned  from  his  uncle's  agent  that  they  had  heard  from  him 
only  a  few  days  before  at  Chittagong,  and  that  he  was  then  on 
the  point  of  leaving  for  Aracan,  whither  he  had  ordered  a  large 
consignment  of  goods  to  be  forwarded  to  him  by  the  next 
ship.  Three  days  later,  Stanley  started  to  join  him,  leav- 
ing his  address  at  Aracan  with  Sir  Archibald  Campbell, 
in  case  there  should  be  need  to  recall  him  before  the  three 
months'  leave  expired.  The  vessel  in  which  he  was  sailing 
carried  the  consignment  of  goods  to  his  uncle,  and  he  had 
therefore  no  fear  of  finding  that  the  latter  had  left  Aracan 
before  his  arrival.  Meinik  Avas  still  with  him.  He  had  left 
the  army  after  the  last  battle  had  been  fought,  and  had  trav- 
elled to  the  spot  where  he  had  buried  his  money  before 
embarking  with  Stanley  in  the  canoe,  and,  after  an  absence 
of  three  days,  rejoined  the  force.  On  the  way  down  to  Ran- 
goon, Stanley  had  a  long  talk  with  him  as  to  his  future  plans. 

"  I  have  only  one  plan,  master,  and  that  is  to  stay  with  you 
as  long  as  I  live." 

"  But  you  will  have  plenty  to  live  comfortably  upon  now, 
Meinik.  For,  after  all  that  you  have  done  for  me,  of  course 
I  shall  arrange  for  you  to  have  a  sum  that  will  keep  you 
in  comfort." 

Meinik  shook  his  head. 

"Burma  is  a  bad  country,  master.  After  living  with  the 
English,  I  would  not  go  back  to  live  under  the  king's  officers 
in  any  case ;  any  money  that  I  had  would  be  squeezed  out  of 
me  before  long.     No,  master,  I  will  go  with  you,  unless  you 


IN    BUSINESS    AGAIN  301 

drive  me  from  you ;  if  you  do,  I  will  go  to  Chittagong, 
and  live  there ;   but  I  do  not  think  that  you  will  do  that. ' ' 

"  Certainly  not,  Meinik.  As  long  as  you  are  willing  to  re- 
main with  me  I  shall  be  very  glad  indeed  to  have  you  ;  but 
if  at  any  time  you  wish  to  marry  and  settle  down  on 
land  of  your  own,  I  shall  give  you  five  hundred  pounds, 
which  is  only  a  small  portion  of  the  sum  those  rubies,  which 
you  got  your  band  to  give  me,  brought  me  in." 

"I  daresay  I  shall  marry,"  Meinik  said,  "but  that  will 
make  no  difference.  As  long  as  I  live,  I  shall  stay  with 
you." 

Meinik  had  been  astounded  at  Calcutta,  which  presented  a 
strong  contrast,  indeed,  to  the  city  which,  as  a  Burman,  he 
had  regarded  as  the  most  important  place  in  the  world. 

"The  Burmese  are  fools,  master;  they  should  have  sent 
two  or  three  men  here  before  they  made  up  their  minds  to  go 
to  war.  If  they  had  been  truly  told  what  Calcutta  was  like, 
they  would  never  have  ventured  to  make  war  with  the 
English." 


CHAPTER   XVIII 


IN     BUSINESS     AGAIN 


WHEN  the  vessel  arrived  at  the  mouth  of  the  Aracan 
river,  a  canoe  was  seen  coming  out  from  Akyah,  a  town 
situated  at  the  entrance  to  the  principal  of  the  several 
channels  by  which  the  river  makes  its  way  through  a  number 
of  sand-banks  and  islands  into  the  sea.  As  it  approached, 
StanW  recognized  his  uncle  sitting  in  the  stern. 


302  ON    THE    IRRAWADDY 

"Well,  uncle,  how  are  you?"  he  called  out  as  the  boat 
approached  the  side. 

"  What,  is  it  you,  Stanley  ?  I  am  glad  indeed  to  see  you. 
I  have  watched  the  papers  anxiously  to  see  if  your  name 
appeared  among  those  who  have  been  killed  or  have  died ; 
not  seeing  it  I  hoped  that  you  were  all  right.  Of  course  we 
heard  from  the  Madras  regiment  that  came  across  from  Sem- 
beughewn  that  it  was  all  over,  and  that  all  the  troops  would 
be  shipped  off  as  soon  as  they  went  down  to  Rangoon,  but  I 
have  not  seen  any  papers  lately,  and  so  have  not  had  a 
chance  of  learning  any  news  of  you.  I  fancied,  though, 
that  you  would  be  back  at  Calcutta  by  this  time,  and  thought 
that  I  might  get  a  letter  from  you  by  this  ship. ' ' 

By  this  time  he  was  on  deck,  and  after  a  hearty  shaking  of 
hands  Stanley  asked  what  he  was  doing  here. 

"  I  did  not  expect  to  see  you  until  we  got  to  Aracan." 

"  I  have  been  up  there,  lad.  It  is  a  decaying  old  place, 
and  the  stream  is  in  many  places  shallow,  so  that  it  would  be 
very  difficult  to  take  up  a  ship  of  any  size.  I  foresee,  there- 
fore, that  this  is  going  to  be  the  chief  port  of  the  province ; 
timber  will  be  floated  down  here,  and  rice  brought  down  in 
native  boats,  so  I  shall  make  my  headquarters  here  as  far 
as  this  district  is  concerned,  and  put  Johnson  in  charge.  I 
doubt  whether  for  a  time  we  shall  do  as  much  trade  as 
we  shall  higher  up  the  coast,  but  everyone  expects  a  great 
Burmese  immigration,  and  a  large  trade  is  likely  to  spring  up 
in  time.  I  have  not  quite  determined  on  my  next  move,  and 
it  is  not  improbable  that  I  shall  go  down  in  this  ship  and 
establish  myself  for  a  time  at  Martaban  and  open  a  trade 
in  Tenasserim.  If  I  decide  on  that,  I  shall  only  get  on  shore 
a  portion  of  my  goods  and  take  the  rest  on  with  me  there. 
Now  what  are  you  going  to  do,  Stanley?  " 

"  Just  what  you  think  best,  uncle.      I  should  have  thought 


IN    BUSINESS    AGAIN  303 

that,  as  I  speak  the  language,  it  would  be  better  for  me  to  go 
on  to  Martaban,  and  for  you  to  work  Chittagong  and  the 
district  up  to  x\ssam." 

"  Then  you  are  going  to  stay  with  me,  lad  !  "  his  uncle 
exclaimed  in  a  tone  of  much  satisfaction.  "  I  was  afraid  that 
you  would  have  got  so  fond  of  soldiering  that  you  would  have 
thrown  this  over  altogether." 

"  Not  a  bit  of  it,  uncle.  I  am  on  three  months'  leave  at 
present,  and  at  the  end  of  that  time  I  shall  resign.  You  know 
I  am  a  captain  now,  that  is  to  say,  that  I  have  got  my  rank 
by  death  vacancies,  though  until  the  Gazette  comes  out  from 
England,  I  can  hardly  be  said  to  be  a  pucka  captain ; 
and,  what  is  more,  the  general  himself  assured  me  that 
after  being  mentioned  in  despatches  two  or  three  times, 
and  at  his  strong  commendation  of  my  services,  I  was  sure  of 
the  brevet  rank  of  major. ' ' 

His  uncle  took  off  his  hat  gravely. 

"  I  must  apologize  to  you,"  he  said,  "  for  addressing  you 
as  '  lad.'  I  had  no  idea  that  you  were  a  full-grown  captain, 
still  less  that  you  might  soon  be  a  major. ' ' 

"  I  don't  care  a  snap  for  the  title,  uncle,"  Stanley  said 
laughing,  "  except  that  it  may  be  an  advantage  to  me  in 
places  where  there  are  garrisons,  and  indeed  generally  where 
there  are  white  officials." 

"  A  very  great  advantage,  Stanley.  Well,  lad,  I  have  been 
coining  money  since  I  saw  you  at  Rangoon.  I  have  been 
sending  a  consignment  of  bullocks  down  there  every  week, 
and  have  done  almost  as  much  with  the  Manipur  force  ;  I  have 
also  got  the  contract  regularly  now  for  the  supply  of  the 
troops  at  Calcutta.  Other  trade  has  of  course  been  at  a  stand- 
still. Now  that  everything  has  quieted  down,  there  will  2>e  a 
perfect  rush,  and  I  have  been  sorely  troubled  in  my  mind 
whether  it  would   be  best  to  stay  up  here  and  take  advantage 


304  ON    THE    1RRAWADDY 

of  it,  or  to  be  one  of  the  first  to  open  trade  at  these 
new  ports.  Of  course,  if  you  are  ready  to  take  Martaban 
that  will  decide  me,  and  I  shall  take  passage  in  the  first  ship 
going  up  to  Chittagong.  My  own  boat  and  the  dhow 
are  both  there,  and  I  shall  at  once  work  up  all  the  rivers,  and 
set  things  going  again.  I  have  a  capital  fellow,  a  native,  who 
is  carrying  on  the  cattle  business  for  me,  and  at  Chittagong  I 
shall  try  and  get  hold  of  three  or  four  more  trustworthy 
fellows  to  take  charge  of  depots.  I  see  a  big  future  before  us, 
and  that  before  long.  I  did  well  with  those  gems  of  yours — 
they  fetched  ^3500,  which  I  used,  besides  what  you  handed 
over  to  me,  for  there  was  no  buying  up  the  cattle  without 
cash,  and  as  I  generally  have  to  wait  two  months  after  they 
are  shipped  before  I  get  paid,  ready  money  was  invaluable, 
and  indeed  I  could  not  have  gone  into  the  thing  on  anything 
like  the  same  scale  if  it  had  not  been  for  your  money.  The 
Calcutta  people  would  have  helped  me  to  a  certain  point,  but 
they  would  never  have  ventured  upon  such  advances  as  I 
required.  Your  ^"5000  has  doubled  itself  since  I  met  you  at 
Rangoon.  I  calculate  that  our  stores  at  the  different  depots 
are  worth  ^4000,  so  that  at  the  present  moment  the  firm 
of  Pearson  &  Brooke  have  at  their  command  a  capital  of 
,£14,000." 

A  portion  of  the  cargo  was  landed  at  Akyah.  Stanley 
went  down  with  the  rest  to  Martaban,  and  his  uncle  sailed 
for  Chittagong.  A  few  months  later  a  store  was  opened  at 
Rangoon.  Parsee  store-keepers  were  sent  from  Calcutta  by 
Tom  Pearson,  and  these  were  placed  in  control  of  the  stores 
there  and  at  Martaban,  Stanley  being  in  charge  of  these  two 
stations  and  Akyah,  and  having  a  native  craft  of  his  own,  and 
a  boat  for  river  work  similar  to  that  of  his  uncle. 

A  year  later  he  received  a  letter  from  Harry,  saying  that 
his  uncle  had  died  a  month  after  his  return  to  England,  and 


IN    BUSINESS    AGAIN  305 

that  he  was  now  established  as  one  of  the  pillars  of  the 
state. 

"  As  I  went  through  London  on  my  arrival,"  he  said,  "  I 
looked  up  your  mother  at  the  address  you  gave  me  at  Dul- 
wich.,  I  found  her  very  well  and  very  comfortable.  She  was 
full  of  your  praises,  and  as  I  was  equally  so,  your  ears  ought 
to  have  tingled  while  we  were  together.  Of  course  they 
wanted  to  hear  all  about  you,  and  most  of  it  was  new  to  them, 
for  you  had  said  nothing  of  your  adventure  with  that  leopard, 
and  only  a  few  lines  about  the  rescue  of  your  humble  servant, 
though  you  had  told  them  that  I  stood  in  your  way  of  the 
earldom.  Your  mother  said  that  she  was  prouder  of  you 
than  if  you  were  an  earl,  only  that  she  would  have  liked  to 
have  you  at  home.  I  told  her  that  you  and  your  uncle  were 
shaking  the  pagoda  tree,  and  that  you  would  come  home  as 
yellow  as  a  guinea  and  as  rich  as  a  nabob  in  the  course  of  a 
few  years. 

"  Your  sisters  are  older  than  I  expected  to  find  them.  Of 
course  you  always  spoke  of  them  as  when  you  saw  them  last. 
They  are  both  growing  into  very  pretty  girls,  the  elder  espe- 
cially. I  made  your  mother  promise  to  bring  them  down  to 
stay  with  me  for  a  bit,  when  I  came  into  the  title,  which  I 
knew  could  not  be  long,  for  I  had  called  that  morning  on  my 
uncle's  solicitors,  and  they  told  me  that  he  was  not  expected 
to  live  many  weeks.  As  it  is  only  a  month  since  he  died,  I 
suppose  I  ought  not  to  have  visitors  just  yet ;  but  in  a  few 
weeks  I  shall  go  up  to  town  and  bring  them  down  with  me. 
I  cannot  help  thinking  that  it  is  a  little  selfish  ;  for  when  they 
see  this  place  they  would  not  be  human  if  they  did  not  feel 
that  it  would  have  been  yours  if  it  had  not  been  for  your  get- 
ting me  out  of  the  hands  of  those  Burmese.  I  see  that  you 
are  gazetted  captain  this  week.  I  suppose,  long  before  this, 
you  have  settled  down  to  your  old  work  of  going  up  sluggish 
20 


306  ON    THE    IRRAWADDY 

streams,  and  trying  to  stir  up  the  equally  sluggish  native  to  a 
sense  of  the  advantages  of  British  goods.  At  present  I  am  quite 
content  to  do  nothing  particular,  to  ride  and  drive  about,  re- 
turn calls,  and  so  on  ;  but  I  expect,  before  very  long,  I  shall 
get  restless,  and  want  to  be  doing  something.  However,  there 
is  the  Continent  open  to  one,  and  decent  hotels  to  stop  at. 
No  fevers  there,  and  no  Burmese  brigands. ' ' 

A  month  later  he  had  a  letter  from  his  mother  which  had 
been  written  before  that  of  Harry,  but  had  been  sent  to  Cal- 
cutta and  thence  to  Akyah,  and  had  there  lain  until  his  re- 
turn, two  months  later,  from  a  boat  journey  up  to  Pegu.  She 
said  how  kind  it  was  of  his  cousin  to  come  in  to  give  them 
news  of  him  the  very  day  he  arrived  in  London. 

"  Of  course  we  were  delighted  with  all  that  he  told  us 
about  you,  but  it  made  us  anxious  to  think  of  your  running 
into  so  many  dangers.  We  like  him  very  much ;  we  could 
not  help  laughing  because  he  seemed  quite  concerned  that 
you  should  not  have  the  peerage  instead  of  him.  He  seems 
likely  to  come  into  it  soon,  for  he  tells  us  that  the  earl  is  very 
ill.  He  says  that  we  must  come  down  and  pay  him  a  visit 
as  soon  as  he  is  master  there;  but  I  don't  know  whether  that 
can  be.  Of  course  it  would  be  a  nice  change,  and  I  believe 
that  it  is  a  very  fine  place.  I  said  that  it  would  seem  strange 
our  going  there,  when  there  are  no  ladies,  and  that  bachelors 
did  not  generally  entertain  ;  but  he  said  that,  in  the  first 
place,  he  should  have  his  sisters  there,  who  were  about  the 
same  age  as  my  girls,  and  that  as  we  were  his  nearest  rela- 
tions, and  you  were  at  present  his  heir,  it  would  be  quite  the 
right  and  proper  thing  for  us  to  come  down.  He  seemed 
quite  in  earnest  about  it,  and  I  should  not  be  surprised  if  we 

go." 

Three  months  later,  Stanley  heard  that  the  visit  had  been 
paid,  and  that  they  had  stayed  a  fortnight  there. 


IN    BUSINESS    AGAIN  307 

"  It  feels  quite  funny  settling  down  here  again  after  being 
in  that  big  house  with  all  those  servants  and  grandeur  ;  not 
that  there  is  any  grandeur  about  Harry.  He  insists,  being 
relations,  that  we  shall  call  him  by  his  Christian  name. 
Everything  was  delightful ;  every  afternoon  we  used  to  go 
driving,  and  of  a  morning  he  generally  rode  with  the  girls. 
He  had  a  very  pretty  gentle  horse  for  Agnes,  and  a  gray 
pony,  a  beauty,  for  Kate.  I  have  a  strong  suspicion  that  he 
had  bought  them  both  on  purpose.  I  should  not  be  sur- 
prised— but  no,  I  won't  say  anything  about  it." 

Stanley  puzzled  over  this  sentence,  which  was  followed  by  : 
"  His  sisters  are  very  nice  girls." 

"  It  is  evidently  something  about  Harry,"  he  said  to  him- 
self; "possibly  she  has  taken  the  idea  into  her  head  that  he 
may  fall  in  love  with  Agnes.  That,  certainly,  would  be  a 
very  nice  thing,  but  I  don't  suppose  it  is  anything  more  than 
an  idea  of  mother's." 

However,  four  months  later  he  received  a  letter  from  Harry 
announcing  his  engagement. 

"  I  told  your  mother  that  she  must  let  me  write  by  the 
mail  before  she  did,  as  it  was  only  right  that  I  should  have 
the  pleasure  of  telling  you  the  news  myself.  It  is  splendid, 
old  man ;  upon  my  word  I  don't  know  which  I  ought  to 
feel, — most  grateful  to  you  for  saving  my  life,  or  for  getting 
me  to  know  your  sister.  It  seems  to  me  a  regular  dispensa- 
tion of  Providence.  You  did  everything  you  could  to  pre- 
vent yourself  from  coming  into  a  title,  and  now  your  sister 
is  going  to  take  it  and  me.  It  is  quite  right  that  we  should 
come  to  be  brothers-in-law,  for  we  are  quite  like  brothers  al- 
ready. We  are  to  be  married  in  the  spring.  How  I  wish 
you  could  be  with  us.  Your  absence  will  be  the  only  thing 
wanting  to  make  everything  perfect.  I  do  hope  you  don't 
mean  to  stay  grilling  out  there  many  years.     It  seems  to  me 


30S  ON    THE    IRRAWADDY 

monstrous  that  I  should  be  having  estates  and  a  big  income., 
and  all  that  sort  of  thing,  when  I  have  done  nothing  to  de- 
serve it,  and  that  you  should  be  toiling  in  that  beastly  cli- 
mate. If  I  thought  that  there  was  the  least  chance  of  your 
rushing  home  when  you  get  this  letter,  I  declare  that  I  would 
put  off  the  marriage  for  a  month  or  so,  so  that  you  should  be 
here  in  time;  but  as  I  feel  sure  that  you  won't  do  anything 
of  the  sort,  it  will  be  of  no  use  for  me  to  make  such  a  noble 
sacrifice." 

Stanley  had  received  the  news  that  he  was  gazetted  brevet- 
major  a  month  after  he  was  promoted  to  the  rank  of  captain, 
and  two  months  before  his  name  appeared  as  having  retired 
from  the  army.  He  derived,  as  he  expected,  much  benefit 
from  his  connection  with  the  army,  in  his  position  at  his  three 
receiving  ports,  as  it  placed  him  on  a  very  pleasant  footing 
with  the  military  and  civil  officials;  and  it  rendered  his  oc- 
casional visits  to  Calcutta  and  Madras  exceedingly  pleasant, 
for  in  both  towns  he  found  many  officers  whose  acquaintance 
he  had  made  during  the  expedition.  He  was  always  made  an 
honorary  member  of  the  messes  and  clubs,  during  his  stays 
there. 

The  business  grew  rapidly  ;  the  work  of  the  earlier  years 
had  so  well  paved  the  way  for  larger  operations,  that  they  were 
able  to  more  than  hold  their  own  against  other  traders  who, 
after  the  troubles  were  at  an  end,  sought  to  establish  themselves 
at  various  points  on  the  western  coast  of  the  peninsula,  and, 
after  six  more  years  of  hard  and  continuous  work,  the  busi- 
ness came  to  be  a  very  large  and  important  one. 

"  I  think  it  more  than  probable,"  Stanley  wrote  to  his 
mother,  "  that  before  very  long  I  shall  be  returning  home. 
My  uncle  spoke  about  it  the  last  time  that  I  saw  him,  and  said 
that  we  were  outgrowing  Calcutta,  and  ought  to  establish  our- 
selves in  London.      '  We  can  hold  on  a  bit  longer,'  he  said, 


IN    BUSINESS    AGAIN  309 

'  but  we  must  come  to  that  sooner  or  later,  and  when  it  does 
you  must  be  the  one  to  go  to  England  and  take  charge. 
I  may  go  home  before  that  for  a  few  months,  but  I  have  no 
wish  or  desire  to  stop  there.  We  have  now  got  a  good  staff, 
and  I  shall  probably  fix  myself  permanently  at  Calcutta. '  ' ' 

Two  years  later  Tom  Pearson,  on  his  return  from  England, 
brought  back  a  wife  with  him,  and  established  himself  at  Cal- 
cutta. Stanley  joined  him  there  three  weeks  after  his  return. 
They  had  a  long  talk  together  that  evening. 

"  I  see,  Stanley,"  his  uncle  said,  "  that  things  have  gone 
on  improving  since  I  have  been  away,  and  that  our  turnover 
last  year  was  ^150,000,  and  the  profits  close  upon  ^15,000. 
I  think  now  that  it  is  high  time  we  opened  a  place  in  London. 
We  have  almost  a  monopoly  of  the  teak  trade  in  Burma,  and 
it  would  be  much  more  advantageous  for  us  to  make  our  pur- 
chases in  England  instead  of  here.  We  should  save  in  car- 
riage and  in  trans-shipment,  besides  the  profits  that  the  people 
here  make  out  of  their  sales  to  us.  I  have  made  a  great  many 
inquiries  at  home,  as  to  the  prices  for  cash  in  Manchester 
and  Birmingham,  and  find  that  we  should  get  goods  there 
some  fifteen  per  cent,  cheaper  than  we  pay  at  Calcutta,  even 
after  putting  on  the  freights;  so  you  see  it  is  an  important 
matter.  Besides  there  would  be  a  better  choice  of  goods, 
and  you  know  exactly  the  sort  of  thing  that  we  require, 
and  the  quantities  that  we  can  get  rid  of,  and  would  be  able 
therefore  to  send  consignments  each  month  without  waiting 
for  advices  from  me,  and  so  we  should  get  the  things  just 
as  readily  as  we  do  now  from  here.  I  will  give  you  the 
names  of  some  of  the  firms  that  I  have  visited  and  with 
whom  I  have  already  paved  the  way  for  opening  extensive 
transactions. 

"  During  the  eighteen  months  that  I  have  been  away,  you 
have  learned  all  about    the  banking  business,  and  will  find 


310  ON    THE    IRRAWADDY 

no  more  difficulty  in  managing  in  London  than  here.  Your 
brother-in-law  Netherly  went  with  me  to  the  Bank  of  Eng- 
land, and  introduced  me  to  one  of  the  directors.  I  told 
him  that  we  intended  to  open  a  house  in  London,  and  that 
as  soon  as  we  did  so,  we  should  open  an  account  with 
them  by  paying  in  ^"30,000,  and  that  we  should  of  course 
require  some  facilities,  but  probably  not  to  a  large  extent, 
as  our  payments  for  teak  there  would  fairly  balance  our 
exports  from  England,  and  that  I  reckoned  our  trade  to  be,  as 
a  minimum,  ^50,000  each  way.  The  matter  was  made  ex- 
tremely easy  by  Netherly  saying,  to  my  astonishment :  '  You 
can  let  them  draw  what  they  like,  Mr.  Townshend,  for  I  will 
give  my  personal  guarantee  up  to  ^50,000.'  I  remonstrated, 
but  he  would  not  hear  anything  said.  '  Ridiculous,'  he  ex- 
claimed, hotly  ;  '  Stanley  is  my  brother-in-law  ;  he  risked  his 
life  for  me,  and  you  don't  suppose  that  I  should  mind  risking 
^50,000  for  him.  Not,'  he  went  on,  turning  to  the  director, 
'  that  there  is  any  risk  in  the  matter  ;  I  know  all  about  the 
business  they  do  in  India,  and  that  there  is  not  a  shadow  of 
risk  in  it.  I  know  that  my  guarantee  will  be  a  mere  form, 
but  as  it  may  put  them  on  a  better  footing  with  you  to  begin 
with,  I  shall  be  very  pleased  to  do  it.' 

"  Of  course,  we  know  that  there  will  be  no  risk  in  it;  the 
greater  portion  of  our  business  is  a  ready-money  one,  and 
although  of  late  we  have  been  dealing  more  with  native  local 
firms  instead  of  selling  direct  from  our  own  stores,  the 
amounts  are  never  large,  and  so  far  we  have  never  lost  a  penny. 
Of  course,  I  shall  let  you  know  by  every  mail  how  things 
are  going  on  at  all  our  depots,  and  you  will  then  be  able  to 
form  an  estimate  as  to  the  amount  of  goods  you  will  have  to 
despatch  to  each,  sending  them  direct,  of  course,  if  there  hap- 
pens to  be  a  ship  going.  But  all  these  things,  of  course,  we 
shall  go  into  at  length  before  you  start  for  England." 


IN    BUSINESS    AGAIN  311 

"  Did  you  go  down  to  Harry's  place  ?  " 

"  Yes,  I  stopped  there  a  week.  Your  sister  seems  per- 
fectly happy,  and  plays  the  part  of  queen  of  the  county  admi- 
rably. The  four  youngsters  are  jolly  little  things.  As  to 
your  mother,  you  will  find  very  little  change  in  her.  I  really 
don't  think  that  she  looks  a  day  older  than  when  we  saw  her 
off  at  Calcutta,  something  like  ten  years  ago.  Of  course  then 
she  was  cut  up  with  her  loss,  but  quiet  and  comfort  have 
agreed  with  her,  and  the  climate  is  a  good  deal  less  trying 
than  it  is  out  here.  At  any  rate,  I  should  not  take  her  for  a 
day  over  forty,  and  she  is  something  like  five  years  older  than 
that." 

Three  months  later  Stanley  sailed  for  England.  There  was 
the  same  argument  between  him  and  Meinik  that  there  had 
been  when  Stanley  first  left  Rangoon,  but  this  time  it  termi- 
nated differently. 

"  You  would  be  out  of  your  element  in  England,  Meinik. 
Of  course  my  life  there  will  be  very  different  from  what  it  is 
here.  I  shall  go  away  from  home  to  business  every  morning, 
and  not  get  back  until  perhaps  seven  o'clock  in  the  evening. 
As  a  consequence  there  would  be  nothing  for  you  to  do  for 
me,  and  we  should  see  very  little  of  each  other.  You  know  I 
should  like  to  have  you  with  me,  and  would  do  all  that  I 
could  to  make  you  comfortable,  but  I  am  sure  that  you  would 
not  like  the  life.  Here  you  have  always  been  on  the  move, 
and  there  is  always  something  for  you  to  do  and  think  of.  I 
have  spoken  to  my  uncle  about  you,  and  he  will  be  glad  to 
appoint  you  to  the  position  of  purchaser  for  our  house  of  teak 
and  other  native  products  in  these  provinces.  Besides  being 
buyer,  you  would  go  up  the  country  and  see  to  the  felling  and 
getting  the  timber  down  to  the  coast,  as  you  have  often  done 
before.  He  knows  how  absolutely  I  trust  you,  and  how  much 
you   have  done  for  me,  and  he  said  that  he  should  be  very 


312  ON    THE    IRRAWADDY 

glad  to  have  you  in  charge  of  the  buying  side  of  the  work 
here.  Besides,  you  know  you  have  now  a  wife  and  children, 
and  even  if  you  could  make  yourself  comfortable  in  England, 
they  would  never  be  able  to  do  so,  and  the  bitter  cold  that 
we  sometimes  have  in  winter  would  try  them  terribly  and 
might  even  carry  them  all  off." 

To  these  arguments  Meinik  had  reluctantly  yielded.  He 
was  somewhat  proud  of  the  position  that  he  occupied  as  one 
of  some  authority  in  the  establishment  of  the  principal  mer- 
chants on  the  coast.  He  was  fond  of  his  wife  and  little  chil- 
dren, and  felt  that  to  be  established  among  strangers  of  differ- 
ent habits  and  race,  would  be  very  terrible  for  them.  Stanley 
bought  him  a  nice  house  at  Rangoon,  and  as  his  rate  of  pay, 
which  had  been  gradually  increased,  was  now  sufficient  to 
cause  him  to  rank  high  among  the  native  population,  he  him- 
self came  to  feel  that  he  had  done  wisely  in  accepting  Stan- 
ley's advice. 

The  voyage  to  England  was  an  uneventful  one,  and  to 
Stanley,  after  the  active  life  he  had  had  for  ten  years,  the  five 
months  spent  at  sea  seemed  almost  interminable. 

"  I  should  not  have  known  you  in  the  least,"  his  mother 
said  after  the  first  joyful  greetings  were  over.  "How  much 
you  have  gone  through  since  we  parted  at  Calcutta." 

"I  had  a  pretty  rough  time  of  it  for  two  years,  mother, 
during  the  war,  but  with  that  exception  my  life  has  been  a 
very  pleasant  one,  and  I  have  had  nothing  whatever  to  grum- 
ble about.  This  is  a  pretty  house  that  you  have  chosen, 
mother,  and  the  garden  is  charming.  How  I  have  longed 
sometimes  for  the  sight  of  an  English  garden.  Of  course  I 
have  never  seen  one  before,  but  I  have  heard  you  talk  of  them, 
and  thought  how  delightful  the  green  grass  must  be.  Of 
course  we  had  flowers  in  Burma,  plenty  of  them  and  shrubs, 
but  it  was  not  green  like  this.      It  is  charming." 


IN    BUSINESS    AGAIN  313 

"  Yes,  it  is  a  pretty  house,  Stanley.  We  moved  in  here 
five  years  ago,  thanks  to  you,  dear  boy,  and  it  has  been  a 
very  quiet  happy  time.  We  have  a  good  many  friends 
now  among  our  neighbours,  and  have  quite  as  much  so- 
ciety as  I  care  for.  I  suppose  you  have  not  yet  decided 
whether  you  will  live  here  with  us,"  she  said  a  little  anxiously, 
"  or  set  up  an  establishment  of  your  own." 

"  Of  course  I  shall  stay  here,  mother.  I  never  thought  of 
anything  else.  I  see  that  you  have  some  stables.  I  shall  get 
a  couple  of  horses  and  drive  into  town  in  the  mornings.  I 
have  got  out  of  the  way  of  walking  altogether.  And  where 
is  Kate  ?  ' ' 

"  You  will  see  her  presently.  She  will  be  here  to  dinner 
with  Agnes  and  Harry.  I  sent  her  off  because  I  wanted 
to  have  you  all  to  myself  for  the  first  hour.  The  others 
came  up  to  town  three  days  ago  on  purpose  to  be  here 
when  you  arrived.  Of  course  we  heard  when  your  ship 
called  at  Plymouth.  We  had  been  looking  for  her,  for  your 
last  letter  told  us  the  name  of  the  vessel  that  you  were  coming 
by,  so  I  wrote  to  them  and  they  came  up  at  once.  They 
wanted  us  to  go  and  dine  with  them,  but  I  would  not  hear 
of  it.  I  was  sure  that  you  would  much  rather  dine  quietly 
here  than  in  state  in  Portman  Square  with  three  or  four  foot- 
men behind  our  chairs." 

"  Ever  so  much  better,  mother.  I  suppose  I  shall  hardly 
know  Agnes,  but  Harry  cannot  have  altered  much ;  besides, 
I  have  seen  him  four  years  later  than  her." 

Harry's  greeting  was  of  the  heartiest  kind  ;  Stanley's  sisters 
felt  at  first  a  little  strange  with  this  brother  of  whom  they  had 
but  a  faint  remembrance. 

"  It  does  not  seem  to  me,  Harry,  that  your  dignities  have 
tamed  you  down  much." 

"No,  indeed,"    Harry  laughed.      "I   find  it   sometimes 


314  ON    THE    IRRAWADDY 

very  difficult  to  act  up  to  my  position.  I  never  quite  feel 
that  I  am  an  earl  except  on  the  rare  occasions  when  I  go 
to  the  House  of  Lords,  which  I  only  do  when  my  vote  is 
wanted  on  an  important  division.  The  gloom  of  that  place 
is  enough  to  sober  anyone.  I  can  assure  you  that  when  I 
heard  of  the  fire  I  felt  absolutely  pleased.  Of  course,  they 
will  build  another  one,  perhaps  grander  than  the  last  and  as 
gloomy  ;  but,  thank  goodness,  it  must  be  years  before  it  can 
be  finished,  and  until  then  we  shall  have  to  put  up  with  tem- 
porary premises.  Your  chances  of  an  earldom  are  getting 
more  and  more  remote,  Stanley.  There  are  three  boys  bar- 
ring the  way  already.  I  had  proposed  to  myself  not  to 
marry,  in  which  case  you  or  a  son  of  yours  would  have  fol- 
lowed me,  but  your  sister  overpersuaded  me. ' ' 

Agnes  tossed  her  head  as  she  said  : 

"  At  any  rate,  Harry,  if  you  made  that  resolution,  it  was 
not  worth  much,  as  you  gave  it  up  at  the  first  opportunity. 
I  was  the  first  girl  you  met  when  you  arrived  in  England, 
and  I  doubt  whether  you  had  seen  another  before  we  came 
down  to  stay  at  Netherly.  I  had  not  been  there  two  days 
before  you  began  to  make  love  to  me. ' ' 

"  The  temptation  would  excuse  anything,  my  dear,"  Harry 
laughed ;  "  besides,  you  see,  I  saw  at  once  that  it  was  but  fair 
and  right  to  Stanley,  that  if  he  could  not  get  the  peerage  him- 
self, he  might  some  day  have  the  satisfaction  of  being  uncle  to 
an  earl.     And  so  you  are  home  for  good,  old  fellow?  " 

"  Yes,  and  just  at  present  I  feel  very  much  at  sea  as  to  how 
to  get  to  work,  as  Tom  Pearson  arranged  nothing  except  as  to 
the  banking  account,  everything  else  he  has  left  to  me.  I 
know  nothing  of  London,  and  have  no  idea  of  the  situation 
where  I  should  look  for  offices." 

"  I  will  put  you  up  to  all  that,  Stanley.  I  don't  know 
anything  about  it  myself,  as  you  may  suppose,  but  if  you  will 


IN    BUSINESS    AGAIN  315 

go  with  me  to  my  solicitors  to-morrow,  they  will  be  able  to 
tell  you.  But  I  do  know  that  Leadenhall  Street  is  the  centre 
of  the  Indian  trade,  and  it's  somewhere  about  there  that  you 
will  have  to  fix  yourself.  Of  course,  when  you  have  taken  a 
place  you  will  have  to  get  hold  of  some  clerks.  If  you  put 
an  advertisement  in  the  paper  you  will  get  any  number  of  ap- 
plicants, or  possibly  my  men  may,  through  their  connection 
with  merchants,  be  able  to  hear  of  some  to  suit  you ;  anyhow 
I  am  sure  that  you  will  find  no  difficulty." 

Thanks  to  Harry's  introductions,  Stanley  was  established  in 
a  handsome  suite  of  offices  with  three  clerks,  with  much  greater 
ease  than  he  had  anticipated.  Being  thoroughly  versed  in 
business,  he  was  not  long  before  he  was  at  home  in  his  new 
life. 

Three  years  after  his  return,  he  married  Harry's  youngest 
sister.  The  firm  flourished  greatly  and  became  one  of  the 
leading  houses  in  the  Eastern  trade.  At  the  age  of  sixty 
Stanley  retired  from  business  with  a  large  fortune.  He  could 
do  this  comfortably,  as  his  eldest  son  and  a  nephew  had  be- 
come active  partners  in  the  firm.  He  still  lives  at  the  age  of 
eighty-six,  in  a  noble  mansion  near  Staines,  and  retains  all 
the  faculties  even  at  advanced  age. 


THE    END 


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ROUNDABOUT  RHYMES 

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THE  LITTLE  BROWNS 

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BY    ETHEL    F.    HEDDLE 

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A   GIRL   OF   TO-DAY 

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The  boys  and  girls  of  Woodend  band  themselves  together,  and  that 
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6tores  for  their  society,  and  in  the  successful  Christmas  entertainment. 
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G.  C  Hindley,  and  a  map.  Crown  8vo,  olivine  edges, 
$1.50. 

The  author  is  himself  an  old  Arctic  voyager,  and  he  deals  with  deer- 
hunting  iu  Norway,  sealing  in  the  Arctic  Seas,  bear-stalking  on  the 
ice-floes,  the  hardships  of  a  journey  across  Greenland,  and  a  successful 
voyage  to  the  back  of  the  North  Pole. 

WESTWARD   WITH   COLUMBUS 

By  Gordon  Stables,  M.D.,  C.M.  With  8  full -page  Illustra- 
tions by  Alfred  Pearse.     Crown  8vo,  olivine  edges,  $1.50. 

The  hero  of  this  story  is  Columbus  himself.  His  career  is  traced 
from  boyhood  onward  through  the  many  hazardous  enterprises  in  which 
he  was  at  various  times  engaged.  The  narrative  deals  chiefly,  however, 
with  the  great  naval  venture  which  resulted  in  the  discovery  of  the 
American  continent. 

TWIXT   SCHOOL   AND   COLLEGE 

A  Tale  of  Self-reliance.  By  Gordon  Stables,  M.D.,  C.M. 
With  8  full-page  Illustrations  by  W.  Parkinson.  Crown 
8vo,  olivine  edges,  $1.50. 


BOOKS  FOR    YOUNG    PEOPLE 


IN   THE   DICTATOR'S   GRIP 

By  John  Samson.     Illustrated.     12mo,  $1.25 

A  vigorous  and  telling  story  of  an  Englishman's  adventures  in  the 
Pampas  and  Paraguay. 

JONES   THE   MYSTERIOUS 

By    Charles    Edwardes.     With  3  Illustrations    by    Harold 
"Copping.    12mo,  75  cts. 

A  bright  story  of  English  schoolboy  life,  with  mysterious  happenings 
to  the  hero,  who  has  a  secret  and  weird  "power,"  bestowed  upon  him 
by  his  East  Indian  bearer. 

THE    HISTORY    OF   GUTTA-PERCHA 
WILLIE 

The  Working  Genius.  By  George  Macdonald.  With  8  Illus- 
trations by  Arthur  Hughes.     New  Edition.    12nio,  75  ct3. 

WYNPORT  COLLEGE 

A  Story  of  School  Life.  By  Frederick  Harrison.  With  8 
Illustrations  by  Harold  Copping.     Crown  8vo,  $1.50. 

The  hero  and  his  chums  differ  as  widely  in  character  as  iu  personal 
appearance.  We  have  Patrick  O'Ffiahertie,  the  good-natured  Irish 
boy ;  Jack  Brookes,  the  irrepressible  humorist ;  Davie  Jackson,  the 
true-hearted  little  lad  on  whose  haps  and  mishaps  the  plot  to  a  great 
extent  turns  ;  and  the  hero  himself. 

THE  ROVER'S  SECRET 

A  Tale  of  the  Pirate  Cays  and  Lagoons  of  Cuba.  By  Harry 
Collingwood.  With  6  full-page  Illustrations  by  W.  C. 
Symons.     Crown  8vo,  $1.00. 

The  hero  of  "The  Rover's  Secret,"  a  young  officer  of  the  British 
navy,  narrates  his  peculiar  experiences  in  childhood  and  his  subsequent 
perils  and  achivements. 

THE   PIRATE    ISLAND 

A  Story  of  the  South  Pacific.  By  Harry  Collingwood. 
Illustrated  by  8  full-page  Pictures  by  C.  J.  Staniland  and 
J.  R.  Wells.     Olivine  edges.     Crown  8vo,  $1.50. 

This  story  details  tbe  adventures  of  a  lad  who  was  found  in  his  in- 
fancy on  board  a  wreck,  and  is  adopted  by  a  fisherman.  Going  to  sea, 
he  forms  one  of  a  party  who,  after  being  burned  out  of  their  ship, 
are  picked  up  by  a  pirate  brig  and  taken  to  the  "  Pirate  Island,"  where 
they  have  many  thrilling  adventures. 


BOOKS   FOR    YOUNG    PEOPLE 


BY    GEORGE    MANVILLE    FENN 

DICK   O'   THE   FENS 

A  Romance  of  the  Great  East  Swamp.  With  12  full-page 
Illustrations  by  Frank  Dadd.     Crown  8vo,  $1.50. 

BROWNSMITH'S    BOY 

With  6  page  Illustrations.     Crown,  8vo,  $1.00. 

YUSSUF    THE    GUIDE 

Being  the  Strange  Story  of  Travels  in  Asia  Minor.  With  8  full- 
page  Illustrations.     Crown   8vo,  $1.00. 

THE   GOLDEN   MAGNET 

A  Tale  of  the  Land  of  the  Incas.  With  12  full-page  pictures  by 
Gordon  Browne.     Crown  8vo,  $1.50. 

NAT   THE   NATURALIST 

A  Boy's  Adventures  in  the  Eastern  Seas.  Illustrated  by  8  full- 
page  Pictures  by  George  Browne.  Crown,  8vo,  olivine 
edges,  $1.50. 

QUICKSILVER 

Or.  A  Boy  with  no  Skid  to  his  Wheel.  With  10  full-page  Illus- 
trations by  Frank  Dadd.     Crown  8vo,  $1.25. 

DEVON    BOYS 

A  Tale  of  the  North  Shore.  With  12  full-page  Illustrations  by 
Gordon  Browne.     Crown  8vo,  $1.50. 

MOTHER   CAREY'S   CHICKEN 

Her  Voyage  to  the  Unknown  Isle.  With  8  full  page  Illustra- 
tions.    Crown  8vo,  $1.00. 

BUNYIP  LAND 

The  Story  of  a  Wild  Journey  in  New  Guinea.  With  6  full-page 
Illustrations  by  Gordon  Browne.     Crown  8vo,  $1.25. 

IN  THE   KING'S   NAME 

Or,  The  Cruise  of  the  Kestrel.  Illustrated  by  12  full-page  Pic- 
tures by  Gordon  Browne.     Crown  8vo,  $1.50. 

MENHARDOC 

A  Story  of  Cornish  Nets  and  Mines.  With  6  full-page  Illustra- 
tions by  C.  J.  Staniland.     Crown  8vo,  $1.00. 

PATIENCE   WINS 

Or,  War  in  the  Works.  With  6  full-page  Illustrations.  Crown 
8vo,  $1.00. 


BOOKS   FOR    YOUNG    PEOPLE 


BY  HARRY  COLLINGWOOD 

THE    LOG    OF    A     PRIVATEERSMAN 

With  12  full-page  Illustrations  by  W.    Rainey,    R.I.     Crown 
8vo,  olivine  edges,  $1.50. 

In  the  war  between  Napoleon  and  the  British,  many  privateers  were 
sent  out  from  England  to  seize  and  destroy  the  French  merchant  vessels. 
On  one  of  these  George  Bowen  went  as  second  mate.  Long  distance 
duels  at  sea,  tights  at  close  quarters,  fierce  boarding  attacks,  capture  and 
recapture,  flight  and  pursuit,  storm  and  wreck,  fire  at  sea  and  days  with 
out  food  or  water  in  a  small  boat  on  the  ocean,  are  some  of  the  many 
thrilling  experiences  our  hero  passed  through. 


BY  PROFESSOR  A.  J.  CHURCH 

LORDS    OF    THE    WORLD 

A   story  of  the  Fall  of  Carthage  and   Corinth.     By  Professor 

A.  J.  Church.     With  12  full-page  Illustrations  by  Ralph 

Peacook.     Crown  8vo,  olivine  edges  $1.50. 

The  scene  of  this  story  centres  in  the  destruction  of  Carthage  by  the 

Romans.     The  young  hero  is  captured  by  the  Romans,  but  wearing  the 

dress  of  his  twin  sister,  escapes  death.     Entering  the  army  of  Carthage 

he  is  in  the  thick  of  the  long  conflict  and  passes  through  many  thrilling 

adventures. 

BY  S    BARINC-GOULD 

GRETTIR    THE    OUTLAW 

A    story  of  Iceland.      By  S.    Baring-Gould.     With  10  full- 
page    Illustrations  by   M.    Zeno  Diemer,  and   a    Colored 
Map.     Crown  8vo,  olivine  edges,  $1.50. 
No  boy  will  be  able  to  withstand  the  magic  of  such  scenes  as  the  fight 

of  Grettir  with  twelve  bearserks  and  the  wrestle  with  Karr  the  Old  in 

the  chamber  of  the  dead. 


THE   MISSING  MERCHANTMAN 

By  Harry  Collingwood.  With  6  full  page  pictures  by  W. 
H.  Overend.     Crown  8vo,  $1.00. 

A  fine  Australian  clipper  is  seized  by  the  crew;  the  passengers  are 
landed  on  one  deserted  island,  the  captain  and  a  junior  officer  on  another, 
and  the  young  hero  of  the  story  is  kept  on  board  to  navigate  the  ship, 
which  the  mutineers  refit  as  a  private  vessel. 

THE    CONGO    ROVERS 

A  Tale  of  the  Slave  Squadron.  By  Harry  Collingwood. 
With  8  full-page  Illustrations  by  J.  Schonberg.  Crown 
8vo,  olivine  edges,  $1.50. 

FIGHTING  THE  MATABELE 

By  J.  Chalmers.  With  6  Illustrations  by  Stanley  L.  Wood. 
12mo,  $1.25. 


BOOKS  FOR   TO  UNO    FEOTLE 


GOOD  BOOKS  FOR  GIRLS 


BY   ALICE    CORKRAN 

DOWN  THE  SNOW  STAIRS 

Or,  From  Good-night  to  Good-morning.  With  character  Illus- 
trations by  Gordon  Browne.  Square  crown  8vo,  olivine 
edges,  $1.25. 

"  A  gem  of  the  first  water,  bearing  upon  every  one  of  its  pages  the 
6ignet  mark  of  genius.  .  .  .  All  is  told  with  such  simplicity  and 
perfect  naturalness  that  the  dream  appears  to  be  a  solid  reality.  It  is 
indeed  a  little  Pilgrim's  Progress." — Christian  Leader. 

MARGERY  MERTON'S  GIRLHOOD 

With  6  full-page  Illustrations  by  Gordon  Browne.     Crown 

8vo,  $1.25. 

The  experience  of  an  orphan  girl  who  in  infancy  is  left  by  her  father, 
an  officer  in  India,  to  the  care  of  an  elderly  aunt  residing  near  Paris. 


A  VERY  ODD   GIRL 

Life  at  the  Gabled  Farm.     By  Annie  E.  Armstrong.     With  6 
full-page  Illustrations  by  S.  T.  Dadd.     Crown,  $1.25. 

HER    FRIEND    AND    MINE 

A  Story  of  Two  Sisters.     By  Florence  Coombe.      With  3 
Illustrations  by  Wm.  Rainey.     12mo,  $1.00. 

THE    EAGLE'S    NEST 

By  S.  E.  Cartwright.     With  3  Illustrations  by  Wm.  Rainey. 
12mo,  $1.00. 

MY    FRIEND    KATHLEEN 

By  Jennie    Chappell.      With  4  Illustrations   by   John    H. 
Bacon.     12mo,  $1.00. 

A    DAUGHTER    OF    ERIN 

By  Violet  G.  Finny.     With  4  Illustrations.     Price,  $1.00. 

CHARLES   SCRIBNER'S  SONS 

153-7  Fifth  Avenue,  New  York 


"Wherever  English  is  spoken  one  imagines  that  Mr.  Henty's 
name  is  known.  One  cannot  enter  a  schoolroom  or  look  at  a 
boy's  bookshelf  without  seeing  half-a-dozen  of  his  familiar 
volumes.  Mr.  Kenty  is  no  doubt  the  most  successful  writer 
for  boys,  and  the  one  to  whose  new  volumes  they  look  forward 
every  Christmas  with  most  pleasure." — Review  of  Reviews. 


A   LIST   OF   BOOKS 
FOR  YOUNG  PEOPLE 

. . .  By  . . . 

G.  A.  HENTY 


Published  by 

CHARLES   SCRIBNER'S   SONS 

J  53  to  157  Fifth  Avenue  J-  J-  New  York 

and  by 

BLACKIE   &   SON,   Limited,  GLASGOW 


THIS    YEAR'S    BOOKS 

.  .  .  'BY  .  .. 

G.    A.    HENTY. 


*  *  *;c- 

"  Among  writers  of  stories  of  adventures  for  boys  Mr.  Plenty 
stands  in  the  very  first  rank." — Academy  (London). 


THE  TREASURE  OF  THE  INCAS 

A  Tale  of  Adventure  in  Peru.     *With  8  full-page  Illustrations  by 
Wal  Paget,  and  Map.    $1.20  net. 

Peru  and  the  hidden  treasures  of  her  ancient  kings  offer  Mr.  Henty 
a  most  fertile  field  for  a  stirring  story  of  adventure  in  his  most  engag- 
ing style.  In  an  effort  to  win  the  girl  of  his  heart,  the  hero  penetrates 
into  the  wilds  of  the  laud  of  the  Incas.  Boys  who  have  learned  to 
look  for  Mr.  Henty's  books  will  follow  his  new  hero  in  his  adventurous 
and  romantic  expedition,  with  absorbing  interest.  It  is  one  of  the  most 
captivating  tales  Mr.  Henty  has  yet  written. 

WITH  KITCHENER  IN  THE  SOUDAN 

A  Story  of  Atbara  and  Omdurman.     With  10  full-page  Illustra- 
tions.    $120  net. 

Mr.  Henty  has  never  combined  history  and  thrilling  adventure  more 
skillfully  than  in  this  extremely  interesting  story.  It  is  not  in  boy 
nature  to  lay  it  aside  unfinished,  once  begun  ;  and  finished,  the  reader 
finds  himself  in  pose ession,  not  only  of  the  facts  and  the  true  atmos- 
phere of  Kitchener's  famous  Soudan  campaign,  but  of  the  Gordon 
tragedy  which  preceded  it  by  so  many  years  and  of  which  it  was  the 
outcome. 

WITH    THE  BRITISH  LEGION 

A  Story  of  the  Carlist  Uprising  of  1836.     Illustrated.     $1.20  net. 

Arthur  Hallet,  a  young  English  boy,  finds  himself  in  difficulty  at 
home,  through  certain  harmless  school  escapades,  and  enlists  in  the 
famous  "  British  Legion,"  which  was  then  embarking  for  Spain  to  take 
part  in  the  campaign  to  repress  the  Carlist  uprising  of  1836.  Arthur 
shows  his  mettle  in  the  first  fight,  distinguishes  himself  by  daring  work 
in  carrying  an  important  dispatch  to  Madrid,  makes  a  dashing  and 
thrilling  rescue  of  the  sister  of  his  patron  and  is  rapidly  promoted  to 
the  rank  of  captain.  In  following  the  adventures  of  the  hero,  the 
reader  obtains,  as  is  usual  with  Mr.  Henty's  stories,  a  most  accurate 
and  interesting  history  of  a  picturesque  campaign. 


BOOKS   FOR    YOUNG    PEOPLE 


STORIES    BY    G.    A.    HENTY 

"  His  books  have  at  once  the  solidity  of  history  and  the  charm  of 
romance. "-JwrraaZ  of  Education. 


TO   HERAT   AND    CABUL 

A  Story  of  the  First  Afghan   War.     By  G.  A.  Henty.     "With 
Illustrations.      12rno,  $1.20  net. 

The  greatest  defeat  ever  experienced  by  the  British  Army  was  that 
in  the  Mountain  Passes  of  Afghanistan.  Angus  Cameron,  the  hero  of 
this  book,  having  been  captured  by  the  friendly  Afghans,  was  com- 
pelled to  be  a  witness  of  the  calamity.  His  whole  story  is  an  intensely 
interesting  one,  from  his  boyhood  in  Persia;  his  employment  under  the 
Government  at  Herat;  through  the  defense  of  that  town  against  the 
Persians;  to  Cabul,  where  he  shared  in  all  the  events  which  ended  in 
the  awful  march  through  the  Passes  from  which  but  one  man  escaped. 
Angus  is  always  at  the  point  of  danger,  and  whether  in  battle  or  in 
hazardous  expeditions  shows  how  much  a  brave  youth,  full  of 
resources,  can  do,  even  with  so  treacherous  a  foe.  His  dangers  and 
adventures  are  thrilling,   and  his  escapes  marvellous. 

WITH  ROBERTS  TO  PRETORIA 

A  Tale  of  the  South  African  War.     By  G.  A  Henty.     With  12 
Illustrations.     $1.20  net. 

The  Boer  War  gives  Mr.  Henty  an  unexcelled  opportunity  for  a 
thrilling  story  of  present-day  interest  which  the  author  could  not  fail  to 
take  advantage  of.  Every  boy  reader  will  find  this  account  of  the  ad- 
ventures of  the  young  hero  most  exciting,  and,  at  the  same  time  a 
wonderfully  accurate  description  of  Lord  Roberts's  campaign  to  Preto- 
ria. Boys  have  found  history  in  the  dress  Mr.  Henty  gives  it  anything 
but  dull,  and  the  present  book  is  no  exception  to  the  rule. 

AT  THE  POINT  OF  THE  BAYONET 

A  Tale  of  the  Mahratta  War.     By  G.  A.  Henty.     Illustrated. 
12mo,  $1.20  net. 

One  hundred  years  ago  the  rule  of  the  British  in  India  was  only  partly 
established.  The  powerful  Mahrattas  were  unsubdued,  and  with  their 
skill  in  intrigue,  and  great  military  power,  they  were  exceedingly  dan- 
gerous. The  story  of  "At  the  Point  of  the  Bayonet"  begins  with 
the  attempt  to  conquer  this  powerful  people.  Harry  Lindsay,  an 
infant  when  bis  father  and  mother  were  killed,  was  saved  by  his 
Mahratta  ayah,  who  carried  him  to  her  own  people  and  brought  him 
up  as  a  native.  She  taught  him  as  best  she  could,  and,  having  told  him 
his  parentage,  sent  him  to  Bombay  to  be  educated.  At  sixteen  he  ob- 
tained a  commission  in  the  English  Army,  and  his  knowledge  of  the 
Mahratta  tongue  combined  with  his  ability  and  bravery  enabled  him  to 
render  great  service  in  the  Mahratta  War,  and  carried  him,  through 
many  frightful  perils  by  land  and  sea,  to  high  rank. 


BOOKS  FOR    YOUNG   FFOPLE 


BY  G.  A.  HENTY 

"Mr.    Henty   might   with   entire   propriety  be   called  the  boys' Sir 
Walter  Scott." — Philadelphia  Press. 


IN   THE    IRISH    BRIGADE 

A  Tale  of  War  in  Flanders  and  Spain.    With  12  Illustrations  by 
Charles  M.  Sheldon.     12mo,  $1.50. 

Desmond  Kennedy  is  a  young  Irish  lad  who  left  Ireland  to  join  the 
Irish  Brigade  in  the  service  of  Louis  XIV.  of  France.  In  Paris  he  in- 
curred the  deadly  hatred  of  a  powerful  courtier  from  whom  he  had 
rescued  a  young  girl  who  had  been  kidnapped,  and  his  perils  are  of  ab- 
sorbing interest.  Captured  in  an  attempted  Jacobite  invasion  of  Scot- 
land, he  escaped  in  a  most  extraordinary  manner.  As  aid-de-camp 
to  the  Duke  of  Berwick  he  experienced  thrilling  adventures  in  Flan- 
ders. Transferred  to  the  Army  in  Spain,  he  was  nearly  assassinated, but 
escaped  to  return,  when  peace  was  declared,  to  his  native  land,  having 
received  pardon  and  having  recovered  his  estates.  The  6tory  i6  filled 
with  adventure,  and  the  interest  never  abates. 

OUT    WITH   GARIBALDI 

A   Story  of  the  Liberation  of  Italy.     By   G.  A.  Henty.     With 
8  Illustrations  by  W.  Rainey,  R.I.      12mo,  $1.50. 

Garibaldi  himself  is  the  central  figure  of  this  brilliant  story,  and  the 
little-known  history  of  the  struggle  for  Italian  freedom  is  told  here  in 
the  most  thrilling  way.  From  the  time  the  hero,  a  young  lad,  son  of 
an  English  father  and  an  Italian  mother,  joins  Garibaldi's  band  of 
1,000  men  in  the  first  descent  upon  Sicily,  which  was  garrisoned  by  one 
of  the  large  Neapolitan  armies,  until  the  end,  when  all  those  armies 
are  beaten,  and  the  two  Sicilys  are  conquered,  we  follow  with  the 
keenest  interest  the  exciting  adventures  of  the  lad  in  scouting,  in 
battle,  and  in  freeing  those  in  prison  for  liberty's  sake. 

WITH    BULLER   IN   NATAL 

Or,   A  Born  Leader.     By  G.  A.  Henty.     With  10  Illustrations 
by  W.  Rainey.     12mo,  $1.50. 

The  breaking  out  of  the  Boer  War  compelled  Chris  King,  the  hero 
of  the  story,  to  flee  with  his  mother  from  Johannesburg  to  the  sea 
coast.  They  were  with  many  other  Uitlanders,  and  all  suffered  much 
from  the  Boers.  Reaching  a  place  of  safety  for  their  families,  Chris 
and  twenty  of  his  friends  formed  an  independent  company  of  scouts.  In 
this  service  they  were  with  Gen.  Yule  at  Glencoe,  then  in  Ladysmith, 
then  with  Buller.  In  each  place  they  had  many  thrilling  adventures. 
They  were  in  great  battles  and  in  lonely  fights  on  the  Veldt ;  were 
taken  prisoners  and  escaped;  and  they  rendered  most  valuable  service 
to  the  English  forces.  The  story  is  a  most  interesting  picture  of  the 
War  in  South  Africa. 


BOOKS  FOR    YOUNG   PEOPLE 


BY  G.  A.   HENTY 

"  Surely  Mr.  Henty  should  understand  boys'  tastes  better  than  any 
man  living." — The  Times. 


WON    BY   THE   SWORD 

A  Tale  of  the  Thirty  Years'  War.     With  12  Illustrations  by 

Charles  M.  Sheldon,  and  four  Plans.     12mo,  $1.50. 

The  scene  of  this  story  is  laid  in  France,  during  the  time  of  Richelieu, 
of  Mazarin  and  Anne  of  Austria.  The  hero,  Hector  Campbell,  is  the 
orphaned  son  of  a  Scotch  officer  in  the  French  Army.  How  he  at- 
tracted the  notice  of  Marshal  Turenne  and  of  the  Prince  of  Conde ; 
how  he  rose  to  the  rank  of  Colonel ;  how  he  finally  had  to  leave  France, 
pursued  by  the  deadly  hatred  of  the  Due  de  Beaufort — all  these  and 
much  more  the  story  tells  with  the  most  absorbing  interest. 

A   ROVING   COMMISSION 

Or,  Through  the  Black  Insurrection  at  Hayti.     With  12  Illus- 
trations by  William  Rainey.     12mo,  $1.50. 

This  is  one  of  the  most  brilliant  of  Mr.  Henty's  books.  A  story  of 
the  sea,  with  all  its  life  and  action,  it  is  also  full  of  thrilling  adven- 
tures on  land.  So  it  holds  the  keenest  interest  until  the  end.  The 
scene  is  a  new  one  to  Mr.  Henty'6  readers,  being  laid  at  the  time  of  the 
Great  Revolt  of  the  Blacks,  by  which  Hayti  became  independent. 
Toussaint  l'Overture  appears,  and  an  admirable  picture  is  given  of  him 
and  of  his  power. 

NO   SURRENDER 

The    Story  of  the  Revolt  in  La  Vendee.     With  8  Illustrations 
by  Stanley  L.  Wood.     12mo,  $1.50. 

The  revolt  of  La  Vendue  against  the  French  Republic  at  the  time  of 
the  Revolution  forms  the  groundwork  of  this  absorbing  story.  Leigh 
Stausrield,  a  young  English  lad,  is  drawn  into  the  thickest  of  the  con- 
flict. Forming  a  company  of  boy6  as  scouts  for  the  Vendean  Army, 
he  greatly  ai ds  the  peasants.  He  rescues  his  6ister  from  the  guillotine, 
and  finally,  after  many  thrilling  experiences,  when  the  cause  of  La 
Vendee  is  lost,  he  escapes  to  England. 

UNDER  WELLINGTON'S  COMMAND 

A  Tale  of  the  Peninsular  War.     With  12  Illustrations  by  Wal 
Paget.     12mo,  $1.50. 

The  dashing;  hero  of  this  book,  Terence  O'Connor,  was  the  hero  of 
Mr.  Henty'6  previous  book,  "  With  Moore  at  Corunna,"  to  which  this 
is  really  a  sequel.  He  is  still  at  the  head  of  the  '  Minho"  Portuguese 
regiment.  Being  detached  on  independent  and  guerilla  duty  with  his 
regiment,  he  renders  invaluable  service  in  gaining  information  and  in 
harassing  the  French.  His  command,  being  constantly  on  the  edge  of 
the  army,  is  engaged  in  frequent  skirmishes  and  some  most  important 
battles. 


BOOKS   FOR    TO  UNO    PEOPLE 


BY  G.  A.  HENTY 

"  Mr.  Henty  is  the  king  of  story-tellers  for  boys.'' — Sword  and,  Trowel. 


AT  ABOUKIR  AND  ACRE 

A  Story  of  Napoleon's  Invasion  of  Egypt.  With  8  full-pag,e 
Illustrations  by  William  Rainey,  and  3  Plans.  12mo, 
$1.50. 

The  hero,  having  saved  the  life  of  the  6on  of  an  Arab  chief,  is  taken 
into  ttie  tribe,  has  a  part  in  the  battle  of  the  Pyramids  and  the  revolt 
at  Cairo.  He  is  an  eye-witness  of  the  famous  naval  battle  of  Aboukir, 
and  later  is  in  the  hardest  of  the  defense  of  Acre. 

BOTH  SIDES  THE  BORDER 

A  Tale  of  Hotspur  and  Glendower.  With  12  full-page  Illus- 
trations by  Ralph  Peacock.     12mo,  $1.50. 

This  is  a  brilliant  story  of  the  stirring  times  of  the  beginning  of  the 
Wars  of  the  Roses,  when  the  Scotch,  under  Douglas,  and  the  Welsh, 
under  Owen  Glendower,  were  attacking  the  English.  The  hero  of  the 
book  lived  near  the  Scotch  border,  and  saw  many  a  hard  fight  there. 
Entering  the  service  of  Lord  Percy,  he  was  sent  to  Wales,  where  he 
was  knighted,  and  where  he  was  captured.  Being  released,  he  returned 
home,  and  shared  in  the  fatal  battle  of  Shrewsbury. 


WITH  FREDERICK  THE  GREAT 

A  Tale  of  the  Seve.i  Years'  War.     With  12  full-page  Illustra- 
tions.    12mo,  $1.50. 

The  hero  of  this  story  while  still  a  youth  entered  the  service  of 
Frederick  the  Great,  and  by  a  succession  of  fortunate  circumstances 
and  perilous  adventures,  rose  to  the  rank  of  colonel.  Attached  to  the 
staff  of  the  king,  he  rendered  distinguished  services  in  many  battles,  in 
one  of  which  he  saved  the  king's  life.  Twice  captured  and  imprisoned, 
he  both  times  escaped  from  the  Austrian  fortresses. 

A  MARCH  ON  LONDON 

A  Story  of  Wat  Tyler's  Rising.     With  8   full-page  Illustra- 
tions by  W.  H.  Margetson.     12mo,  $1.50. 

The  story  of  Wat  Tyler's  Rebellion  is  but  little  known,  but  the  hero 
of  this  story  passes  through  that  perilous  time  and  takes  part  in  the 
civil  war  in  Flanders  which  followed  soon  after.  Although  young  he 
is  thrown  into  many  exciting  and  dangerous  adventures,  through  which 
he  passes  with  great  coolness  and  much  credit. 


BOOKS    FOR    YOUNG    PEOPLE 


BY  G.  A.  HENTY 

"  No  country  nor  epoch  of  history  is  there  which  Mr.  Henty  does  not 
know,  and  what  is  really  remarkable  is  that  he  always  writes  well  and 
interestingly.'' — New  York  Times. 


WITH  MOORE  AT  CORUNNA 

s 

A  Story  of  the  Peninsular  War.  With  12  full-page  Illustra- 
tions by  AVal  Paget.     12mo,  $1.50. 

Terence  O'Connor  is  living  with  his  widowed  father,  Captain  O'Con- 
nor of  the  Mayo  Fusiliers,  with  the  regiment  at  the  time  when  the 
Peninsular  war  began.  Upon  the  regiment  being;  ordered  to  Spain, 
Terence  gets  appointed  as  aid  to  one  of  the  generals  of  a  division.  By 
his  bravery  and  great  usefulness  throughout  the  war,  he  is  rewarded 
by  a  commission~as  colonel  in  the  Portuguese  army  and  there  rendered 
great  service. 

AT  AGINCOURT 

A  Tale  of  the  White  Hoods  of  Paris.  With  12  full-page 
Illustrations  by  Walter  Paget.  Crown  8vo,  olivine 
edges,  $1.50. 

The  story  begins  in  a  grim  feudal  castle  in  Normandie.  The  times 
were  troublous,  and  soon  the  king  compelled  Lady  Margaret  de  Villeroy 
with  her  children  to  go  to  Paris  as  hostages.  Guy  Aylmer  went  with 
her.  Paris  was  turbulent.  Soon  the  guild  of  the  butchers,  adopting 
white  hoods  as  their  uniform,  seized  the  city,  and  besieged  the  house 
where  our  hero  and  his  charges  lived.  After  desperate  fighting,  the 
white  hoods  were  beaten  and  our  hero  and  his  charges  escaped  from 
the  citj-,  and  from  France. 

WITH  COCHRANE  THE  DAUNTLESS 

A  Tale  of  the  Exploits  of  Lord  Cochrane  in  South  American 
Waters.  With  12  full-page  Illustrations  by  W.  H. 
Margetson.     Crown  8vo,  olivine  edges,  $1.50. 

The  hero  of  this  story  accompanies  Cochrane  as  midshipman,  and 
serves  in  the  war  between  Chili  and  Peru.  He  has  many  exciting 
adventures  in  battles  by  sea  and  land,  is  taken  prisoner  and  condemned 
to  death  by  the  Inquisition,  but  escapes  by  a  long  and  thrilling  flight 
across  South  America  and  down  the  Amazon. 

ON  THE  IRRAWADDY 

A  Story  of  the  First  Burmese  War.  AVith  8  full  page  Illus- 
trations by  W.  H.  Overend.  Crown  8vo,  olivine  edges, 
$1.50. 

The  hero,  having  an  uncle,  a  trader  on  the  Indian  and  Burmese 
rivers,  goes  out  to  join  him.  Soon  after,  war  is  declared  by  Burmah 
against  England  and  he  is  drawn  into  it.  He  has  many  experiences 
and  narrow  escapes  in  battles  and  in  scouting.  With  half-a-dozen 
men  he  rescues  his  cousin  who  had  been  taken  prisoner,  and  in  the 
flight  they  are  besieged  in  an  old,  ruined  temple. 


BOOKS  FOR    YOUNG    PEOPLE 


BY  G.  A.  HENTY 

"Boys  like  stirring  adventures,  and  Mr.  Henty  is  a  master  of  this 
method  of  composition."— New  York  Times. 


THROUGH   RUSSIAN   SNOWS 

A  Story  of  Napoleon's  Retreat  from  Moscow.  With  8  full- 
page  Illustrations  by  W.  H.  Overend  and  3  Maps.  Crown 
8vo,  olivine  edges,  $1.50. 

The  hero,  Julian  Wyatt,  after  several  adventures  with  smugglers,  by 
whom  he  is  handed  over  a  prisoner  to  the  French,  regains  his  freedom 
and  joins  Napoleon's  army  in  the  Russian  campaign.  When  the  terrible 
retreat  begins,  Julian  finds  himself  in  the  rearguard  of  the  French  army, 
fighting  desperately.  Ultimately  he  escapes  out  of  the  general  disaster, 
and  returns  to  England. 

A   KNIGHT   OF    THE  WHITE  CROSS 

A  Tale  of  the  Siege  of  Rhodes.  With  12  full  page  Illustra- 
tions by  Ralph  Peacock,  and  a  Plan.  Crown  8vo,  olivine 
edges,  $1.50. 

Gervaise  Tresham,  the  hero  of  this  story,  joins  the  Order  of  the 
Knights  of  St.  John,  and  proceeds  to  the  stronghold  of  Rhodes.  Sub- 
sequently he  is  appointed  commander  of  a  war-galley,  and  in  his  first 
voyage  destroys  a  fleet  of  Moorish  corsairs.  During  one  of  his  cruises 
the  young  knight  is  attacked  on  shore,  captured  after  a  desperate 
struggle,  and  sold  into  slavery  in  Tripoli.  He  succeeds  in  escaping,  and 
returns  to  Rhodes  in  time  to  take  part  in  the  defense  of  that  fortress. 

THE   TIGER   OF   MYSORE 

A  Story  of  the  War  with  Tippoo  Saib.  With  12  full-page 
Illustrations  by  W.  H.  Mahgetson,  and  a  Map.  Crown 
8vo,  olivine  edges,  $1.50. 

Dick  Holland,  whose  father  is  supposed  to  he  a  captive  of  Tippoo 
Saib,  goes  to  India  to  help  him  to  escape.  He  joins  the  army  under 
Lord  Cornwallis,  and  takes  part  in  the  campaign  againt  Tippoo. 
Afterwards  he  assumes  a  disguise,  enters  Seringapatam,  and  at  last 
he  discovers  his  father  in  the  great  stronghold  "of  Savandroog.  The 
hazardous  rescue  is  at  length  accomplished,  and  the  young  fellow's 
dangerous  mission  is  done. 

IN  THE  HEART  OF  THE  ROCKIES 

A  Story  of  Adventure  in  Colorado.  By  G.  A.  Henty.  With 
8  full-page  Illustrations  by  G.  C.  Hindley.  Crown  8vo, 
olivine  edges,  $1.50. 

The  hero,  Tom  Wade,  goes  to  seek  his  uncle  in  Colorado,  who  is  a 
hunter  and  gold-digger,  aud  he  is  discovered,  after  many  dangers,  out 
on  the  Plains  with  some  comrades.  Going  in  quest  of  a  gold  mine,  the 
little  band  is  spied  by  Indians,  chased  across  the  Bad  Lands,  and 
overwhelmed  by  a  snowstorm  in  the  mountains. 


BOOKS  FOR    YOUNG    PEOPLE 


BY  G.  A.   HENTY 

"  Mr.  Ilenty  is  one  of  the  best  story-tellers  for  young  people." 

— Spectator. 


WHEN   LONDON   BURNED 
>> 

A  Story  of  the  Plague  and  the  Fire.  By  G.  A.  Henty.  With 
12  full-page  Illustrations  by  J.  Finnemore.  Crown  8vo, 
olivine  edges,  $1.50. 

The  hero  of  this  story  was  the  son  of  a  nobleman  who  had  lost  his 
estates  during  the  troublous  t'mes  of  the  Commonwealth.  During  the 
Great  Plague  and  the  Grea'-,  Hire,  Cyril  was  prominent  among  those 
who  brought  help  to  the  panic-stricken  inhabitants. 

WULF  THE  SAXON 

A  Story  of  the  Norman  Conquest.  By  G.  A.  Henty.  With 
12  full-page  Illustrations  by  Ralph  Peacock.  Crown 
8vo,  olivine  edges,  $1.50, 

The  hero  is  a  young  thane  who  wins  the  favor  of  Earl  Harold  and 
becomes  one  of  his  retinue.  When  Harold  becomes  King  of  England 
Wulf  assists  in  the  Welsh  wars,  and  takes  part  against  the  Norsemen 
at  the  Battle  of  Stamford  Bridge.  When  William  of  Normandy  in- 
vades England,  Wulf  is  with  the  English  host  at  Hastings,  and  stands 
by  his  king  to  the  last  in  the  mighty  struggle. 

ST.  BARTHOLOMEW'S  EVE 

A  Tale  of  the  Huguenot  Wars.  By  G.  A.  Henty.  With  12 
full-page  Illustrations  by  II.  J.  Draper,  and  a  Map. 
Crown  8vo,  olivine  edges,  $1.50. 

The  hero,  Philip  Eletcher,  has  a  French  connection  on  his  mother's 
side.  This  induces  him  to  cross  the  Channel  in  order  to  take  a  share 
in  the  Huguenot  wars.  Naturally  he  sides  with  the  Protestants,  dis- 
tinguishes himself  in  various  battles,  and  receives  rapid  promotion  for 
the  zeal  and  daring  with  which  he  carries  out  several  secret  missions. 

THROUGH  THE  SIKH  WAR 

A  Tale  of  the  Conquest  of  the  Punjaub.  By  G.  A.  Henty. 
With  12  full-ptge  Illustrations  by  Hal  Hurst,  and  a 
Map.     Crown  8vo,  olivine  edges,  $1.50. 

Percy  Groves,  a  spirited  English  lad,  joins  his  uncle  in  the  Punjaub, 
where  the  natives  are  in  a  state  of  revolt.  Percy  joins  the  British 
force  as  a  volunteer,  and  takes  a  distinguished  share  in  the  famous 
battles  of  the  Punjaub. 


BOOKS   FOR    YOUNG    PEOPLE 


BY  G.  A.  HENTY 

"  The  brightest  of  the  living  writers  whose  office  it  is  to  enchant  the 
boys. — Christi  in  Leader. 


A  JACOBITE  EXILE 

Being  the  Adventures  of  a  Young  Englishman  in  the  Service 
of  Charles  XII.  of  Sweden.  By  G.  A.  Henty.  With  8 
full-page  Illustrations  by  Paul  Hakdy,  and  a  Map.  Crown 
8vo,  olivine  edges,  $1.50. 

Sir  Marmaduke  Carstairs,  a  Jacobite,  is  the  victim  of  a  conspiracy,  and 
he  is  denounced  as  a  plotter  against  the  life  of  King  William.  He  flies 
to  Sweden,  accompanied  by  his  son  Charlie.  This  youth  joins  the 
foreign  legion  under  Charles  XII.,  and  takes  a  distinguished  part  in 
several  famous  campaigns  against  the  Russians  and  Poles. 

CONDEMNED  AS  A  NIHILIST 

A  Story  of  Escape  from  Siberia.     By  G.  A.  Henty.     With  8 

full-page  Illustrations.     Crown  8vo,  olivine  edges,  $1.50. 

The  hero  of  this  story  is  an  English  boy  resident  in  St.  Petersburg. 
Through  two  student  friends  he  becomes  innocently  involved  in 
various  political  plots,  resulting  in  his  seizure  by  the  Russian  police 
and  his  exile  to  Siberia.  He  ultimately  escapes,  and,  after  many  ex- 
citing adventures,  he  reaches  Norway,  and  thence  home,  after  a 
perilous  journey  which  lasts  nearly  two  years. 

BERIC  THE  BRITON 

A  Story  of  the  Roman  Invasion.  By  G.  A.  Henty.  With 
12  full-page  Illustrations  by  W.  Parkinson.  Crown  8vo, 
olivine  edges,  $1.50. 

This  story  deals  with  the  invasion  of  Britain  by  the  Roman  legionaries. 
Beric,  who  is  a  boy-chief  of  a  British  tribe,  takes  a  prominent  part  in 
the  insurrection  under  Boadicea ;  and  after  the  defeat  of  that  heroic 
queen  (in  A.  D.  62)  he  continues  the  struggle  in  the  fen-country. 
Ultimately  Beric  is  defeated  and  carried  captive  to  Rome,  where  he  is 
trained  in  the  exercise  of  arms  in  a  school  of  gladiators.  At  length  he 
returns  to  Britain,  where  he  becomes  ruler  of  his  own  people. 

IN  GREEK  WATERS 

A  Story  of  the  Grecian  War  of  Independence  (1821-1827).     By 

G.  A.  Henty.     With  12  full-page  Illustrations  by  W.  S. 

Stacey,  and  a  Map.     Crown  8vo,  olivine  edges,  $1.50. 

Deals  with  the  revolt  of  the  Greeks  in  1821  against  Turkish  oppres- 
sion. Mr.  Beveridge  and  his  son  Horace  fit  out  a  privateer,  load  it 
with  military  stores,  and  set  sail  for  Greece.  They  rescue  the  Chris- 
tians, relieve  the  captive  Greeks,  and  fight  the  Turkish  war  vessels. 


BOOKS   FOR     YOUNG    PEOPLE 


BY  G.  A.  HENTY 

"  No  living  writer  of  books  for  boys  writes  to  better  purpose  than 
Mr.  G.  A.  Henty." — Philadelphia  Press. 


s      THE  DASH  FOR  KHARTOUM 

A  Tale  of  the  Nile  Expedition.  By  G.  A.  Henty.  With  10 
full-page  Illustrations  by  John  Schonberg  and  J.  Nash. 
Crown  8vo,  olivine  edges,  $1.50. 

In  the  record  of  recent  British  history  there  is  no  more  captivating 
page  for  boys  than  the  story  of  the  Nile  campaign,  and  the  attempt  to 
rescue  General  Gordon.  For,  in  the  difficulties  which  the  expedition 
encountered,  in  the  perils  which  it  overpassed,  and  in  its  final  tragic 
disappointments,  are  found  all  the  excitements  of  romance,  as  well  as 
the  fascination  which  belongs  to  real  events. 

REDSKIN  AND  COW-BOY 

A  Tale  of  the  AVestern  Plains.  By  G.  A.  Henty.  With  12 
full-page  Illustrations  by  Alfred  Pearse.  Crown  8vo, 
olivine  edges,  $1.50. 

The  central  interest  of  this  story  is  found  in  the  many  adventures  of 
an  English  lad,  who  seeks  employment  as  a  cow-boy  on  a  cattle  ranch. 
His  experiences  during  a  "  round-up  "  present  in  picturesque  form  the 
toilsome,  exciting,  adventurous  life  of  a  cow-boy  ;  while  the  perils  of  a 
frontier  settlement  are  vividly  set  forth  in  an  Indian  raid. 


HELD  FAST  FOR  ENGLAND 

A  Tale  of  the  Siege  of  Gibraltar.  By  G.  A.  Henty,  With 
8  full-page  Illustrations  by  Gordon  Browne.  Crown  8vo, 
olivine  edges,  $1.50. 

This  story  deals  with  one  of  the  most  memorable  sieges  in  history — 
the  siege  of  Gibraltar  in  1779-83  by  the  united  forces  of  France  and 
Spain.  With  land  forces,  fleets,  and  floating  batteries,  the  combined 
resources  of  two  great  nations,  this  grim  fortress  was  vainly  besieged 
and  bombarded.  The  hero  of  the  tale,  an  English  lad  resident  in 
Gibraltar,  takes  a  brave  and  worthy  part  in  the  long  defence,  and  it  is 
Through  his  varied  experiences  that  we  learn  with  what  bravery,  re- 
source, and  tenacity  the  Rock  was  held  for  England. 


Note. — For  a  list  of  Henty  Books  at  popular  prices,  see  the 
following  page. 


BOOKS  FOE    YOVNG   TSOrLh 


BY    G.   A.    HENTY 

The  following   copyrighted  Henty  'Boo'fc.s 
are  also  issued  in    acheap  edition 

*    *    ¥ 

A  MARCH  ON  LONDON 

WITH  MOORE  AT  CORUNNA 

AT  AGINCOURT 

COCHRANE  THE  DAUNTLESS 

ON  THE  IRRAWADDY 

THROUGH  RUSSIAN  SNOWS 

A  KNIGHT  OF  THE  WHITE  CROSS 

THE  TIGER  OF  MYSORE 

IN  THE  HEART  OF  THE  ROCKIES 

WHEN  LONDON  BURNED 

WULF  THE  SAXON 

ST.  BARTHOLOMEW'S  EVE 

THROUGH  THE  SIKH  WAR 

A  JACOBITE  EXILE 

CONDEMNED  AS  A     NIHILIST 

BERIC  THE  BRITON 

IN  GREEK  WATERS 

THE  DASH  FOR  KHARTOUM 

REDSKIN  AND  COW-BOY 

HELD  FAST  FOR  ENGLAND 

*   &    * 

These  booi^s  are  fully  described  in  the 
pages  preceding  this. 


A  List   of  Books     *■ 
*      for  Young  People 

.  .  .  "BY  .  .  . 

KIRK     MUNROE 


A    SON    OF    SATSUMA 
Or,  With  Perry  in  Japan 

BY  KIRK  MUNROE 

With  twelve  Illustrations  by  Harry  C.  Edwards.     $1.00  net. 

THIS  absorbing  story  for  boys  deals  with  one  of  the  most  in- 
teresting episodes  in  our  National  history.  From  the 
beginning  Japan  has  been  a  land  of  mystery.  Foreigners  were 
permitted  to  land  only  at  certain  points  on  her  shores  and  nothing 
whatever  was  known  of  her  civilization  and  history,  her  romance 
and  magnificence,  her  wealth  and  art.  It  was  Commodore  Perry 
who  opened  her  gates  to  the  world,  thus  solving  the  mystery  of 
the  ages,  and,  in  this  thrilling  story  of  an  American  boy  in 
Japan  at  that  period,  the  spirit  as  well  as  the  history  of  this  great 
achievement  is  ably  set  forth. 

MIDSHIPMAN  STUART 

Or,  the  Last  Cruise  of  the  Essex.  A  Tale  of  the  War  of  1812. 
Illustrated.     12mo,  $1.25. 

This  is  an  absorbing  story  of  life  in  the  American  Navy  during 
the  stirring  times  of  our  war  of  1812.  The  very  spirit  of  the 
period  is  in  its  pa.ies.  and  many  of  the  adventures  of  the  Essex 
are  studied  from  history. 

IN  PIRATE  WATERS 

A  Tale  of  the  American  Navy.     Illustrated    by    I.  W.  Taber. 
12mo,  $1.25. 

The  hero  of  the  story  becomes  a  midshipman  in  the  navy  just  at  the 
time  of  the  war  with  Tripoli.  His  own  wild  adventures  among  the 
Turks  and  his  love  romance  are  thorough!}'  interwoven  with  the  stir- 
ring history  of  that  time. 


BOOKS   FOR    YOUNG    PEOPLE 


BY  KIRK   MUNROE 
THE  "WHITE  CONQUERORS"   SERIES 

WITH    CROCKETT   AND    BOWIE 

Or,  Fighting  for  the  Lone  Star  Flag.  A  Tale  of  Texas.  With 
8  full-page  Illustrations  by  Victor  Perard.  Crown  8vo, 
$1.25. 

The  story  is  of  the  Texas  revolution  in  1S35,  when  American  Texans 
under  Sam  Houston,  Bowie,  Crockett  and  Travis,  fought  for  relief 
from  the  intolerable  tyranny  of  the  Mexican  Santa  Ana.  The  hero, 
Rex  Hardin,  son  of  a  Texan  ranchman  and  graduate  of  an  American 
military  school,  takes  a  prominent  part  in  the  heroic  defense  of  the 
Alamo,  and  the  final  triumph  at  San  Jacinto. 

THROUGH    SWAMP    AND    GLADE 

A  Tale  of  the  Seminole  "War.  By  Kirk  Munroe.  With  8  full- 
page  Illustrations  by  V.  Perard.     Crown  8vo,  $1.25. 

Coacoochee,  the  hero  of  the  story,  is  the  son  of  Philip  the  chieftain 
of  the  Seminoles.  He  grows  up  to  lead  his  tribe  in  the  long  struggle 
which  resulted  in  the  Indians  being  driven  from  the  north  of  Florida 
down  to  the  distant  southern  wilderness. 

AT   WAR  WITH   PONTIAC 

Or,  the  Totem  of  the  Bear.  A  Tale  of  Redcoat  and  Redskin. 
By  Kirk  Munroe.  With  8  full -page  Illustrations  by  J. 
Finnemore.     Crown  8vo,  $1.25. 

A  story  when  the  shores  of  Lake  Erie  were  held  by  hostile  Indians. 
The  hero,  Donald  Hester,  goes  in  search  of  his  sister  Edith,  who  has 
been  captured  by  the  Indians.  Strange  and  terrible  are  his  experi- 
ences ;  for  he  is  wounded,  taken  prisoner,  condemned  to  be  burned,  but 
contrives  to  escape.     In  the  end  all  things  terminate  happily. 

THE   WHITE   CONQUERORS 

A  Tale  of  Toltec  and  Aztec.  By  Kirk  Munroe.  With  8  full- 
page  Illustrations.     Crown  8vo,  $1.25. 

This  story  deals  with  the  Conquest  of  Mexico  by  Cortez  and  his 
Spaniards,  the  "  White  Conquerors,"  who,  after  mamy  deeds  of  valor, 
pushed  their  way  into  the  great  Aztec  kingdom  and  established  their 
power  in  the  wondrous  city  where  Montezuma  reigned  in  splendor. 

CHARLES  SCRIBNE,R'S  SONS 
153=7  Fifth  Avenue  New  YorK 


A  LIST  OF  NE,W  BOOKS 

FOK. 

YOUNG    PEOPLE 


FALL    OF     1902 


CHARLES   SCRIBNEK'S    SONS 
NEW    YORK 


THE    BOOK    OF  JOYOUS    CHILDREN 

BY   JAMES   WH1TCOMB   RILEY 

Profusely  Illustrated. 

The  sweetness,  the  grace,  the  laughter  and  the  tenderness  of  Mr. 
Riley's  best  verse  are  found  to  the  full  in  this  book  of  delightful  poems 
for  and  about  children.  The  illustrations  have  been  made  under  the 
author's  supervision,  and  portray  the  scenes  and  the  little  heroes  and 
heroines  of  the  poems  with  artistic  fidelity. 

IN  THE  WASP'S  NEST 

The  Story  of  a  Sea  Waif.    By  Cyrus  Townsekd  Brady.    Illus- 
trated.    $1.50  net.     (Postage,  16  cents.) 

A  vigorous  story  of  the  War  of  1812.  The  hero,  a  midshipman, 
serves  gallantly  aboard  two  famous  American  ships,  each  bearing  the 
name  of  Wasp,  having  many  adventures  of  storm,  battle  and  capture. 
The  hero  was  picked  up  in  an  open  boat  when  a  baby  by  the  crew  of  the 
U.  S.  S.  Boston  and  adopted  by  the  Captain.  The  story  has  the  real 
spirit  of  the  American  Navy. 

A  CAPTURED  SANTA  CLAUS 

BY  THOMAS  NELSON  PAGE 

Illustrated  in  Colors. 

This  exquisite  story  of  childhood  is  one  of  the  most  delicate  that 
even  Mr.  Page  has  written.  It  is  an  episode  of  the  Civil  War  in  which 
children  are  the  little  heroes.  The  period  is  the  Christmas  time,  aud 
the  scene  is  between  the  lines  of  the  Union  and  Confederate  Armies. 


BOOKS  FOR    YOUNG   PEOPLE 


JEB  HUTTON,  A  GEORGIA  BOY 

By  James  B.  Connolly.  Illustrated.  $1.20  net.  (Postage, 
13  cents.) 

A  thoroughly  interesting  and  breezy  tale  of  boy-life  along  the 
Savannah  River  by  a  writer  who  knows  boys,  and  who  has  succeeded 
in  making  of  the  adventures  of  Jeb  and  his  friends  a  story  that  will 
keep  his  young  readers  absorbed  to  the  last  page. 

KING  MOMBO 

By  Paul  Du  Chaillu.  Author  of  "  The  World  of  the  Great 
Forest,"  etc.  With  24  illustrations.  $1.50  net.  (Postage, 
16  cents.) 

The  scene  is  the  great  African  forest.  It  is  a  book  of  interesting 
experiences  with  native  tribes,  and  thrilling  and  perilous  adventures  in 
hunting  elephants,  crocodiles,  gorillas  and  other  fierce  creatures 
among  which  this  famous  explorer  lived  so  long. 

A  NEW  BOOK  FOR  GIRLS 

By  Lina  Beard  and  Adelia  B.  Beard.  Authors  of  "The 
American   GhTs   Handy    Book."     Profusely   Illustrated. 

An  admirable  collection  of  entirely  new  and  original  indoor  and  out- 
door pastimes  for  American  girls,  each  fully  and  interestingly  de- 
scribed and  explained,  and  all  designed  to  stimulate  the  taste  and 
ingenuity  at  the  same  time  that  they  entertain. 

SEA   FIGHTERS    FROM    DRAKE   TO 
FARRAGUT 

By  Jessie  Peabody  Frothingham;  Illustrations  by  Reuter- 
dahl.     $1.20  net.     (Postage,  14  cents.) 

Drake,  Tromp,  De  Reuter,  Tourville,  Suffren,  Paul  Jones,  Nelson 
and  Farragut  are  the  naval  heroes  here  pictured,  and  each  is  shown  in 
some  great  episode  which  illustrates  his  personality  and  heroism.  The 
book  is  full  of  the  very  spirit  of  daring  and  adventurous  achievement. 

BOB  AND  HIS  GUN 

By  William  Alexander  Linn.     With  8   Illustrations. 

The  adventures  of  a  boy  with  a  gun  under  the  instruction  of  his 
cousin,  an  accomplished  sportsman.  The  book's  aim  is  to  interest 
boys  in  hunting  in  the  spirit  of  true  sport  and  to  instruct  in  the  ways 
of  game  birds  and  animals. 


